Nordstrom gets Bruins past Penguins in overtime

BOSTON -- Joakim Nordstrom scored at 1:57 of overtime to give the Boston Bruins a 2-1 win against the Pittsburgh Penguins at TD Garden on Friday.

Nordstrom scored from the top of a crease on a tip-in after a slap pass from Torey Krug.
"I didn't really have to do much other] than just keep my stick on the ice," Nordstrom said.
***[WATCH: [All Penguins vs. Bruins highlights]*
Jaroslav Halak made 36 saves, and Jake DeBrusk scored for the Bruins (12-6-4), who have won three straight home games and are 2-0-2 in their past four overall.
Tristan Jarry made 35 saves in his NHL season debut, and Evgeni Malkin scored for the Penguins (8-8-5), who have lost their past five road games (0-3-2).

The Penguins, who were coming off a 5-1 win against the Dallas Stars on Wednesday, haven't won consecutive games since they won four in a row Oct. 18-27. They've won once in their past six games (1-3-2), and coach Mike Sullivan said he isn't impressed by their three-game point streak (1-0-2).
"I don't really look at it," Sullivan said. "We're looking for wins. We have higher expectations where we're trying to win every game that we're in."
Nordstrom scored his first NHL overtime goal. He has four goals in 21 games this season after scoring two in 75 games for the Carolina Hurricanes last season.
"Did I think he'd score the winner?" Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. "No but hey, it worked out that way, and good for him. He's a pretty responsible player in all situations and does a lot of penalty-killing for us, hasn't seen the power play. So it's nice when a guy like that gets rewarded."

The Bruins had lost their previous two overtime games: at the Detroit Red Wings (3-2) on Wednesday, and at the Dallas Stars (1-0) on Nov. 16.
"That was huge," Nordstrom said. "I think we've fought hard in OTs a few games here before and we weren't able to get the extra point. We had some discussions before this game and we're all happy that it ended this way."
Malkin gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal at 6:09 of the second period. He beat Halak high inside the far post with a one-timer from the right face-off circle.
DeBrusk tied it 1-1 with a goal from the top of the left circle at 13:40 after a back pass from David Krejci.

They said it

"I think our changes have to be good, but in order to have good changes, you've got to hold on to the puck in their end too and wear them down a bit. I think it's just ... it could go either way. A lot of time it comes down to execution or finishing on a chance you get and we probably haven't done that as consistently." -- Penguins captain Sidney Crosby on Pittsburgh losing its past two overtime games
"It was good. I felt it's been a long time since I played an NHL game so it's good to get back into things. I didn't think the speed and the shooting affected me too much. I think that was something that I didn't want to affect me, it was just working above the pace and try to get as many pucks as I could." -- Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry on his first NHL game since March 15
"I mean we're going to be a tough team to beat -- any team would be, if both their goalies are going well. Let's face it, we knew we had Tuukka and Halak … we've said all along, we thought he'd be a very good backup. He's been a starter in this league, so that's an area we feel we have covered, goaltending." -- Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy on goalies Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak, who have each started twice in the past four games, when the Bruins have allowed six goals

Need to know

Penguins forward Derek Grant missed the game with an undisclosed injury. Daniel Sprong replaced Grant in the lineup. ... Pittsburgh forward Patric Hornqvist did not play in the third period because of an undisclosed injury. Sullivan did not provide an update. … The Penguins have lost five straight games in Boston since winning last here Nov. 24, 2014. ... Pittsburgh forward Phil Kessel extended his point streak to seven games (10 points; three goals, seven assists). ... Malkin extended his point streak to six games (nine points; two goals, seven assists). ... Krejci's assist on DeBrusk's goal was his 587th NHL point, tying him with Peter McNab for 11th place in Bruins history.

What's next

Penguins: Host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; ATTSN-PT, FS-O, NHL.TV)
Bruins: At the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; SN, TVAS, NESN, NHL.TV)