McAvoy Calls it a Night as B's Beat Blues in OT

ST. LOUIS- The B's started off their two-game road trip on a high note Tuesday night, earning a 3-2 win over the St. Louis Blues at the Enterprise Center. Jake DeBrusk and Taylor Hall both scored in regulation, and Charlie McAvoy called it a game just 49 seconds into OT off a nice dish from DeBrusk.

Second Period Near Perfection

The Bruins entered Tuesday night's matchup vs. the Blues well aware of what it would take to get the win. With the Blues on a scoring hot streak and looking for their 10th consecutive win, the B's focus was on defending and making good decisions with the puck. The first period did not start off on the best foot, however, with the Blues scoring midway through the opening frame, and maintaining possession throughout the period.
But the B's came out for the second period with a new energy, and DeBrusk was able to score a quick one to tie it just 1:33 into the second for his 23rd tally of the season. This was shortly followed by Hall's goal which was tipped in off a Derek Forbort blast from the point. Despite the Bruins shifting the energy, the Blues tied the game, 2-2, with just 2.4 seconds on the clock, continuing the Black & Gold's troubles in the final minutes of a period.
When asked what changes were made for the successful second period, McAvoy said they focused on the details of their game.
"We kind of made a change after the first to be more on top of them coming out of their own zone because they come with a lot of speed, really good right line rush team," said McAvoy. "So kind of all those little adjustments."
Coach Cassidy was also pleased with the Bruins' performance in the second period. "The second period is arguably one of our best periods all year in terms of how we played the game, how we used everybody, minimized some damage at our end and, had all four lines creating some opportunities at the other end," said Cassidy.

Swayman Stepping Up

With Ullmark out, Jeremy Swayman took on the Blues Tuesday night, stopping 20 of 22 shots and coming out with the win. "Swayman has strung together seven real good periods now," said Cassidy. "I mean, even the last play in the overtime to play the puck and be on his toes, that's an area that it's been a challenge for him at times this year, so he was in the game."
For Swayman, it's all about what he can do to help the team win. "It's obviously unfortunate that [Linus] Ullmark is out, but we want to make sure that we're doing everything we can to help the team win every night," said Swayman.
Swayman also praised the defensemen, saying it made his night a lot easier against a strong offensive team. "I thought our defense and forwards did a great job of taking pride in the defensive zone and making my job easy tonight," said Swayman.

McAvoy Calls Game

McAvoy's OT winner - his ninth goal of the season - came just 48 seconds in off a pass from DeBrusk from behind the net. "I was hoping when guys are coming from that way, sometimes you hope that maybe they'll overcommit so that your your lane is kind of where they're coming from and vice versa," said McAvoy. "So that was kind of all I was thinking of is see if I can hold it for a sec, kind of change my angle and get a shot off, and it went in."