Bruins Rally Past Blackhawks 5-2, Extend Win Streak to Six

Game Summary

The Blackhawks jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first period, with Ryan Greene and Wyatt Kaiser scoring goals just two minutes apart. However, the Bruins responded with five unanswered goals—three in the second period and two in the third—to complete the comeback victory.

Mason Lohrei led the way for Boston with two goals, including a power-play tally in the third period that put the game out of reach. Joonas Korpisalo made 22 saves for the Bruins, who improved to 28-19-2 on the season and now sit fourth in the Atlantic Division with 58 points.

For Chicago, the loss dropped them to 19-22-7 and seventh place in the Central Division with 45 points. Arvid Soderblom, making his first start since January 4, stopped 18 shots in the defeat.

Team Statistics

First Period: Blackhawks Strike First

Chicago came out with energy on Saturday night, taking advantage of special teams and timely offense to build an early advantage. After weathering an early Boston push, the Blackhawks struck at the 16:14 mark of the opening frame.

Just three seconds after a Chicago power play expired, Andre Burakovsky found Ryan Greene alone in the slot. Greene snapped a wrist shot past Korpisalo's glove side to give the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead—his sixth goal of the season.

The home team doubled their advantage exactly two minutes later at 18:14. Defenseman Wyatt Kaiser jumped into the play from the right point, skated into the slot, and beat Korpisalo with a wrist shot on the stick side. The traffic in front of the Boston netminder provided an effective screen, and Kaiser's shot found its way through for his second goal of the season.

Despite being outshot 8-6 in the period, the Blackhawks took their two-goal cushion into the first intermission, with the crowd at United Center buzzing with optimism.

Second Period: Boston's Surge

The Bruins wasted no time mounting their comeback. Just 1:55 into the middle frame, Charlie McAvoy cut the deficit in half. Elias Lindholm sent a pass into the slot, and McAvoy beat a screened Arvid Söderblom with a wrist shot to make it 2-1.

"I've been trying to jump in the play more recently, responsibly, trying to be a threat, trying to be part of it," McAvoy said postgame. "I think it's been effective. It's been going well. I've been able to contribute when I get down there. That was a great play off the rush by them (his teammates), a heads-up play by 'Lindy' to slip it over to me. That started rolling the snowball down the hill."

The momentum continued to shift Boston's way as the period progressed. At 14:41, Mason Lohrei tied the game at 2-2, taking a cross-ice feed from Hampus Lindholm and scoring from the right circle with a perfectly placed wrist shot. Lindholm, who had been activated off injured reserve earlier in the day after missing six games, made an immediate impact with the primary assist.

With less than a minute remaining in the period, the Bruins completed their comeback and grabbed their first lead. Viktor Arvidsson finished a give-and-go with Pavel Zacha, scoring from just off the crease at 19:14 to give Boston a 3-2 advantage heading into the second intermission.

Third Period: Bruins Pull Away

Boston extended their lead early in the final frame with Lohrei's second goal of the night. On the power play at 9:01, the birthday boy walked in from the left point and snapped a shot through traffic to make it 4-2. The goal was Lohrei's first multi-goal game in his NHL career.

"Yeah, a lot of fun," Lohrei said after the game. "I live pretty close to here, too, so my whole family is here. A lot of friends made the trip, and obviously siblings trip, too, so a pretty special day. I won't forget it."

Marat Khusnutdinov put the game away at 11:02, finishing a rush after David Pastrnak found him alone in front to make it 5-2. The assist was Pastrnak's second of the game, giving him his 100th multi-assist game of his career and making him the 10th Bruins player to reach that milestone.

The Blackhawks were unable to generate any sustained pressure in the third period, managing just three shots on goal in the final 20 minutes. Despite a late 6-on-5 push, Chicago couldn't solve Korpisalo and ultimately fell for the third straight game.

Final Score

Coaching Perspective

Boston head coach Marco Sturm praised his team's resilience in overcoming the early deficit.

"You just never know," Sturm said. "The frustrating part was because we played so well … All of sudden we were down 2-0. Again, good feeling today. Guys had a good energy. Maybe it was the siblings. I don't know. But we got the job done because we just played our game."

On the Chicago side, head coach Jeff Blashill pointed to self-inflicted mistakes as the difference in the game.

"Yeah, that's what I thought, and that's not taking anything away from them," Blashill said of the Bruins. "They're obviously on a good roll right now, and they're playing good hockey. They certainly make it hard on you in two different ways. They have a pretty good stretch rush game and they defend pretty hard. I just thought we had self-inflicted wounds that we didn't need to. You've got a 2-1 lead with five to play in the second, you walk in and you're down 3-2 and it was kind of some individualistic mistakes that we just have to be tighter."

Standout Performances

Boston Bruins:

• Mason Lohrei - Led all scorers with two goals (including one PPG), recording his first multi-goal NHL game. Finished with 0.33 xG and 1 shot on goal in 17:21 TOI.
• David Pastrnak - Tallied two assists and recorded his 100th multi-assist game, becoming the 10th Bruins player and fifth Czech player to reach the milestone. Finished with 1.26 xG and 2 shots on goal in 20:47 TOI.
• Pavel Zacha - Contributed two assists and was instrumental in Boston's second-period surge. Posted 0.54 xG in 16:08 TOI.
• Joonas Korpisalo - Made 22 saves on 24 shots (.917 SV%) in his sixth consecutive victory.

Chicago Blackhawks:

• Ryan Greene - Scored his sixth goal of the season on a wrist shot from the slot. Finished with 2.00 xG and 1 shot on goal in 18:51 TOI.
• Wyatt Kaiser - The defenseman scored on a well-placed wrist shot from the slot for his second goal of the season. Recorded 0.33 xG in 22:48 TOI.
• Connor Bedard - Led Chicago forwards in ice time (20:48) and contributed 2.00 xG despite being held off the scoresheet.

Three Stars of the Game

Key Takeaways

For the Bruins: Boston's ability to respond after falling behind early was impressive, and their second-period dominance ultimately decided the outcome. The power play converted its only opportunity, and the team's depth continues to shine with contributions throughout the lineup. The Bruins have now won eight of their last nine games and are making a strong push for home-ice advantage in the playoffs.

For the Blackhawks: Chicago's inability to protect an early lead remains a troubling trend. After jumping out to a 2-0 advantage, the Blackhawks allowed the Bruins to dictate play for the final 40 minutes. Coach Blashill's comments about "self-inflicted wounds" ring true, as several turnovers and defensive breakdowns led directly to Boston goals. The team has now lost four straight games at home and will need to regroup quickly.

Notable Stats & Milestones

• Mason Lohrei recorded his first multi-goal game in the NHL on his 25th birthday.
• David Pastrnak reached his 100th multi-assist game, joining elite Bruins company.
• Pastrnak became the fifth Czech player to record 100 multi-assist games, following Jaromir Jagr (266), Jakub Voracek (125), Patrik Elias (119), and David Krejci (106).
• The Bruins extended their winning streak to six games and improved to 8-1 in their last nine contests.
• Boston rallied from a 2-0 deficit for the second time this season.
• Chicago has now lost three straight games and four of their last five.
• The Blackhawks fell to 10-12-4 at home this season.

Looking Ahead

The Boston Bruins (28-19-2) will travel to Dallas to face the Stars on Tuesday night, looking to extend their winning streak to seven games. Boston currently sits fourth in the Atlantic Division, just four points behind division-leading Tampa Bay with three games in hand.

The Chicago Blackhawks (19-22-7) will look to snap their three-game losing streak when they host the Winnipeg Jets on Monday night at 7:30 PM CT. The game marks a special homecoming as Jonathan Toews will play in Chicago as a visitor for the first time in his career.

"Definitely felt good, but we didn't win the game and that's the most important thing," Ryan Greene said after the game. "So that part [stinks]. Leaving the first period with a 2-0 lead and giving up five unanswered obviously isn't what we want to do. I would say a lot of that was self-inflicted, so that's something we have to fix."

Atlantic Division Standings

Central Division Standings