Geekie Lifts Bruins to 2-1 Overtime Win Against Kings 

LOS ANGELES –– It seems Morgan Geekie cannot be stopped.

The forward, who is tied for most goals in the NHL, scored twice on Friday night against the Los Angeles Kings to secure a 2-1 overtime victory for the Boston Bruins at Crypto.com Arena. The game-winner marked Geekie’s fourth goal in two games and 16th of the season.

“Honestly, I didn’t even see it go in. I just tried to make a good shot, and then I heard the guys,” Geekie said.

Nikita Zadorov battled for the puck in the defensive end, sending it up to David Pastrnak, who found Geekie by the right circle. Geekie snapped it past LA netminder Darcy Kuemper at 2:27 of OT to earn the extra point.

“He’s always had that in him,” Hampus Lindholm said of Geekie. “I think he just has some confidence now, playing the big minutes. I’ve always seen that in him, and it’s just fun to see him showcase it night in and night out here.”

Geekie’s first goal of the night came in the third period. Boston’s penalty kill – which went 5-for-5, backstopped by Jeremy Swayman, who finished the night with 31 saves – kept the game knotted at 0-0 until Geekie broke through.

“That was a little bit our game plan today – got to be patient against this group,” head coach Marco Sturm said. “Also, I think it’s one of the best third-period teams in the NHL, so we did a really good job overall for 60 minutes, and especially in the third period.”

Geekie gave the B’s the 1-0 lead at 8:01. Alex Steeves picked up the puck at the offensive blue line and popped it over to Geekie in the high slot, where he one-timed a rocket into the back of the net.

“Maybe a little bit of opportunity. Just being able to seize it a little bit better, too and take advantage of that. Just kind of trusting myself more in those situations,” Geekie said of his goal-scoring growth. “It is easy to build confidence when you have confidence. I think over the last year, it’s slowly been building.” ​

The B’s displayed a new look to their top six on Friday, which featured Geekie on the second line with Steeves and Marat Khusnutdinov. The Czech trio of Matěj Blümel, Pavel Zacha and Pastrnak made up the first line.

“I think overall, it was just a better overall fit. We spread it out a little bit,” Sturm said. “I thought the Czech line was pretty good. The other guys were better, too. We just don’t want to put everything on one line and put the pressure on them all the time.”

The Kings found the 1-1 equalizer with a shorthanded goal from Joel Armia at 13:03, which forced overtime. Geekie’s ensuing tally sent the Bruins flooding onto the ice to celebrate the 2-1 win.​

“[Geekie] worked even more this summer on his shot, on his release. Everything pays off. It’s been nice to see that hard work gets rewarded. I believe in that, and he’s one of them,” Sturm said. “The way we played today, it was really outstanding. One of the better games we’ve played.”

Beating the Kings carried a little extra meaning for Sturm, too, who spent seven years in the organization as both LA’s assistant coach and the head coach of its AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign. Friday was his first time back in the building as an NHL head coach.

​“Anyone knows when you leave, you come back to your old stomping grounds, you want those two points badly,” Lindholm said. “I think we played our strong Bruins game tonight – kind of like the identity [Sturm] wants us to play. It was a perfect win that way.”​

The Bruins are back in action on Sunday in San Jose for an 8 p.m. ET game against the Sharks at SAP Center.