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Bruins Beat Golden Knights 3-2 as Pastrnak Scores Lone Shootout Goal

Bruins Golden Knights recap: David Pastrnak scored the lone shootout goal and Jeremy Swayman stopped all three Vegas shooters in Boston's 3-2 win.

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Featured image: David Pastrnak shoots on Seattle goalie Philipp Grubauer on Dec. 12, 2024 (file photo, not from Monday’s game). Photo: Jenn G from Seattle, WA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

David Pastrnak scored the only goal of the shootout and Jeremy Swayman stopped all three Vegas shooters as the Boston Bruins beat the Vegas Golden Knights 3-2 on Monday night, Nov. 2, at TD Garden. The Bruins Golden Knights result gave Boston its second straight win, both decided after regulation, and lifted the Bruins to 11-4-1 with 23 points.

3 of 3
Vegas shootout attempts stopped or missed
27-23
Bruins edge in shots on goal
7-1-0
Bruins record at TD Garden this season

How the Bruins won the shootout

Neither team scored in a five-minute overtime in which Boston outshot Vegas 3-2, according to the NHL.com Gamecenter. Vegas goalie Carter Hart turned away a Pastrnak slap shot and a Hampus Lindholm tip-in, and Swayman made stops on Noah Hanifin and Jack Eichel in the extra period.

In the shootout, Swayman saved Trevor Connelly’s backhand and Eichel’s wrist shot. Hart stopped Casey Mittelstadt and Fraser Minten. With the shootout scoreless after two rounds, Mitch Marner’s snap shot hit the crossbar, and Pastrnak followed with a wrist shot past Hart to end it, according to the ESPN game log.

The NHL named Pastrnak the first star of the game, James Hagens the second star and Marner the third star.

Hagens, Geekie score in regulation

Hagens opened the scoring at 7:23 of the first period with a snap shot, his sixth goal of the season, assisted by Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov. Boston outshot Vegas 8-6 in the opening period.

The game turned early in the second period. Vegas forward Braeden Bowman was assessed a five-minute major for elbowing and a game misconduct at 2:49, and Morgan Geekie scored on the ensuing power play 34 seconds later for a 2-0 lead. It was Geekie’s third goal of the season, with assists from Pavel Zacha and Pastrnak. Geekie also scored the late tying goal in Boston’s Saturday comeback, covered in TBR’s Bruins-Blackhawks overtime recap.

Vegas pushed back with 11 shots in the second period to Boston’s six. Charlie McAvoy was called for holding at 14:50, and Mark Stone scored on the power play eight seconds later, his 10th goal of the season, from Tomas Hertl and Marner. McAvoy was also given an unsportsmanlike conduct minor at 14:58. He finished with three minors and all six of Boston’s penalty minutes.

Connelly tied the game 2-2 at 7:23 of the third period with a wrist shot, his fifth goal, set up by Hanifin and Marner. Boston outshot Vegas 10-4 in the third and got a late power play when Hart was penalized for sending the puck over the glass at 13:48, but the Bruins could not convert.

Bar chart of Bruins Golden Knights shots on goal by period, showing Vegas outshooting Boston 11-6 in the second period and Boston outshooting Vegas 10-4 in the third
Source: NHL.com Gamecenter, Nov. 2, 2026; chart: The Boston Report

By the numbers: goaltending and special teams

Boston finished with a 27-23 edge in shots on goal. Swayman made 21 saves on 23 shots, a .913 save percentage, while Hart stopped 25 of 27 for a .926 mark, according to the ESPN box score. Pastrnak led all players with seven shots on goal and added an assist, his 12th of the season.

Special teams were even on the scoreboard. Boston went 1-for-4 on the power play, a 25% conversion rate, and Vegas went 1-for-3. Vegas took 19 penalty minutes, 15 of them on Bowman’s major and misconduct, to Boston’s six.

The Golden Knights were the more physical team, outhitting Boston 28-14, and they blocked 15 shots to Boston’s 13. The Bruins won 22 of 41 faceoffs, or 53.7%. Elias Lindholm took a team-high 18 draws and won 10, and Minten won five of six. For Vegas, Eichel won 12 of 20 faceoffs and played 24:57, the most among Golden Knights forwards.

Bar chart of the Bruins' running standings points total after each game of the 2026-27 season, rising to 23 points after the Golden Knights shootout win
Source: ESPN Bruins 2026-27 schedule and results; chart: The Boston Report

The win moved Boston to 23 points through 16 games, a .719 points percentage, by TBR’s calculation from ESPN results. The chart shows the Bruins stalled at 19 points during losses at Carolina on Oct. 27 and St. Louis on Oct. 29, then added four points in two home games. Both wins were by one goal, and Boston has earned 14 of a possible 16 points at home this season. Vegas fell to 9-5-2 and earned a point for reaching overtime. Boston leads the two-game season series 1-0.

What’s next for the Bruins

Boston visits the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 7 p.m. ET, then returns to TD Garden to host the Florida Panthers on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 1 p.m. ET, according to the ESPN Bruins schedule. Fans can find the full slate on TBR’s Boston Bruins schedule page. TBR also covered Pastrnak’s milestone night in Boston’s 6-4 win over San Jose in its Bruins-Sharks recap.

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