Fraser Minten lifts Bruins to a 4-3 overtime win over Blackhawks

The young and speedy Chicago Blackhawks gave the Bruins all they could handle but it was a kid in Black and Gold who decided the fun back-and-forth home opener at the Garden on Thursday On a -on- in overtime Fraser Minten kept it for himself and sizzled a wrist shot past goalie Arvid Soderblom to lift the B s to a - mastery Nikita Zadorov made a good defensive play in the Boston zone to send Minten off with Morgan Geekie on the winning play Joonas Korpisalo saves also made two terrific saves in OT one on a Connor Bedard clean break-in It may have been a costly success however as defenseman Hampus Lindolm left the competition in the first period and did not return The Bruins did not start out well turning the puck over several times off the opening faceoff and Korpisalo had to be sharp The turnovers would be a harbinger of things to come The B s eventually got their footing and after the top line did all the scoring in the opening night win in Washington they got several welcome production from the second line when Casey Mittelstadt scored his first of the year into the encounter Viktor Arvidsson had made a nice move to get around a Chicago defender but he was forced wide and behind the net He sent a pass out front that rattled around old friend Matt Grzelcyk s skates Mittelstadt was able to pounce on it and sneak the puck under Soderblom s pads The Blackhawks however capitalized on a costly turnover After a clean faceoff win in the circle to Korpisalo s right Nikita Zadorov came around the net and sent the puck into space at the left circle Bedard gathered it and the Hawks went back to work Bedard dished the puck and floated over to the other side Andre Burakovsky located him with a cross-ice pass and Bedard sniped it over Korpisalo s shoulder at But what was more concerning came at when Lindholm playing his second meeting back after missing the bulk of last season with a broken kneecap left the event It was not without delay clear what was ailing him He did not return for the second period The Blackhawks created more and more turnovers in the B s zone and then took the lead at on what looked like a nothing play Off a Chicago faceoff win the puck went out to the right point and defenseman Louis Crevier whose shot appeared to go off Tanner Jeannot s skate and over Korpisalo s shoulder giving the B s their first deficit of the season Jeannot got it back however with his first goal as a Bruin at off a good third line shift Mikey Eyssimont collected an errant Henri Jokiharju shot behind the net and went work He made a nice move to get out to the left circle and finding a soft spot on the Chicago took the puck toward the net He snapped off a shot that didn t get through but the puck went right to Jeannot who had an empty net to sum The B s caught a break late in the period when with left in the period Ryan Greene was called for crosschecking Marat Khusnutdinov Then on the ensuing faceoff old friend Nick Foligno was called for playing the puck with his hand on the draw and the B s had a full two-minute -on- They could not cash in before the second period was up but it took them seconds in the third to capitalize With Pavel Zacha on one side of the net tried to get a pass over to Elias Lindholm on the other side It hit a Chicago skate in front and sat there for Lindholm to sweep it in for a - lead It would be short-lived The B s coughed up the puck in the offensive zone and then the Blackhawks broke out with speed leaving the greater part of the Bruins behind Eventually Burakovsky took a pass in the middle of he ice and beat Korpisalo from the slot at The B s had to kill off a Charlie McAvoy interference penalty on Bedard a chintzy call at As the B s were finishing off the kill things got rambunctious after Bedard threw a hit after the whistle After a couple of extending wrestling matches Zadorov and Sean Kuraly went off for the B s and Frank Nazar and Artyom Levshunov got sent to the box With about left in regulation the B s had a great chance to retake the lead on no a -on- when Minten fed Jeannot but Soderblom made a great pad save to keep the contest tied The B s got one more power play with left in the third when Levshunov high-sticked Geekie They had several Grade A chances but could not get the winner and the contest went to the extra session