The Bruins had no business winning Tuesday night. They got off to a slow start against a desperate Penguins team that was coming off four straight loses. They fell behind 5-2. They lost Derek Forbort and Jeremy Swayman to injuries. Linus Ullmark got pulled after surrendering five goals, and then had to re-enter the game after Swayman's injury. They had a goal called back while trying to launch a comeback.
Yet, the Bruins won. For a sixth straight game and for the ninth time in 10 games this season, they won. They came all the way back and won 6-5 in overtime to improve to 9-1-0. And despite the injuries and the defensive issues from the first half of the game and any other negatives, the overwhelming feeling coming out of this one was that this Bruins team really seems to have something special going.
There's everything that happened on the ice that made the comeback possible. Ullmark, who thought his night was over and probably thought his first loss of the season was all but wrapped up, winds up re-entering the game, stopping all 11 shots he faced in the third period and overtime, and getting his seventh straight win to begin the season.
Hampus Lindholm, who was having possibly his worst game as a Bruin through 32 minutes and was a minus-3 at one point, ends up being the hero. He assisted on three straight goals as Boston erased the three-goal deficit, then scored the overtime winner on a terrific coast-to-coast rush and great shot over Tristan Jarry's glove.
Brad Marchand scored again, bringing him up to three goals in two games since returning. Charlie Coyle scored for a third straight game. Jakub Lauko scored his first NHL goal. Pavel Zacha, filling in for the injured David Krejci at No. 2 center, scored during the third-period comeback. And Taylor Hall, already tied for the NHL lead in game-winning goals, came through in the clutch again, scoring the tying goal with 1:17 left in regulation.
Then there's the stuff that's harder to quantify. The vibes, if you will. There was the sight of 35-year-old Nick Foligno circling back to secure the puck after the 22-year-old Lauko's first NHL goal. There was Lauko referring to his veteran linemate as "Uncle Nick," and later revealing that he will be giving that puck to the mother of a friend, Ondrej Buchtela, who died of heart cancer two years ago at age 20.
Foligno, who clearly feels better about his on-ice contributions this season, including a nice assist on Lauko's goal, wasn't done contributing feel-good moments. With Swayman unavailable to partake in the customary post-victory hug with Ullmark, Foligno filled in.
Does any of that kind of stuff really affect wins and losses at the end of the day? Analytically, no. There's no stat for "vibes." But… it kind of feels like it really does mean something with this team, doesn't it?
Maybe it helps them believe they still have a chance when they're down by three goals with 28 minutes left in a game. Maybe it helps them come together to overcome a growing list of injuries.
"I'm sitting there and I'm like, we're generating chances. I just love the fight in this team," coach Jim Montgomery said. "There's like nine minutes left, might not be our night. But geez, it was."
Make no mistake: The injuries to Forbort and Swayman will be difficult to overcome if they turn out to be anything longer-term. Forbort, who is off to a very good start this season, took a shot off the right hand/wrist area. Swayman's knee bent awkwardly when Patrice Bergeron accidentally crashed into it. There was no further update on either of them after the game, and there probably won't be on Wednesday with the team having a day off.
But even if one or both do miss time, this is a team that has already dealt with Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy, Matt Grzelcyk, David Krejci, Jake DeBrusk and Brandon Carlo missing varying amounts of time due to injuries or offseason surgeries. And they're still 9-1-0.
If you want to bet on them finally cracking or reaching a breaking point instead of continuing to overcome, go for it. But that doesn't seem like a particularly wise bet with the way things are going for these Bruins.
