Tomasino scores 1st goal with Penguins in win against Bruins

BOSTON -- Philip Tomasino scored the go-ahead goal in the third period for the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 2-1 win against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Friday.

Tomasino gave the Penguins a 2-1 lead at 7:26 of the third, slipping the puck under Jeremy Swayman’s left pad in the low slot.

The forward was traded to the Penguins on Monday by the Nashville Predators for a fourth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft and played 18:05 in Pittsburgh’s 5-4 win against the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday.

“I haven’t scored all year here, so definitely kind of a little bit of a relief,” Tomasino said. “I thought our whole group tonight, and especially our line, I thought we were really clicking, so I thought it was only a matter of time [before] we were going to get one.”

Tristan Jarry made 31 saves and Rickard Rakell scored for Pittsburgh (9-12-4), which has won two straight.

“Coming down to a tight game in the last period, I guess the whole game, was really good for our whole group,” Jarry said. “From top to bottom, just blocking shots, keeping pucks down low, holding onto pucks. I think we held momentum most of the game, and I think that’s what really helped us down the stretch.”

Charlie Coyle scored, and Swayman made 34 saves for Boston (11-11-3), which has lost two of three.

“It was a couple of different areas where we weren’t at our best tonight,” Bruins coach Joe Sacco said. “One was our execution seemed to be a little bit off at times. And then we just had a couple of missed assignments, and they’re a good offensive team, we talked about that before the game. Certainly, they still have some high-end talent over there, and they’ll make you pay if you miss assignments.”

Coyle gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead at 1:24 of the first period. Penguins defenseman Jack St. Ivany misplayed a pass at Boston’s blue line, and Trent Frederic found Coyle in the right circle with plenty of space.

“You jump out to an early lead, two or three goals, [or] you’re down one, two, three goals, it’s how do you bring that next shift, that focus,” Coyle said. “And it seemed like we kind of eased up that way. Then you stop putting the puck in behind them, that’s when we’re getting our chances.”

Rakell tied it 1-1 at 19:59 of the second period. Sidney Crosby picked up a loose puck behind the goal line and cycled behind the net before feeding Rakell in front to beat the buzzer.

“We just wanted to create something quick, only 20 seconds to go there,” Rakell said. “Throwing pucks at the net … Sid was able to find me in the middle, and yeah it was, I think, momentum-changing for everyone into the third period.”

Coyle attempted to tie it at 11:44 of the third, facing an open net from a tight angle on the left side, but Penguins defenseman Kris Letang slid across the goal line to keep the puck out. Pittsburgh defenseman Erik Karlsson also had a crucial blocked shot against Morgan Geekie to maintain the lead at 17:15.

“[Letang and Karlsson] anticipate well, they get on top of people,” Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said. “They use their stick skills and their brains to win pucks and defend that way. And I think [Karlsson is] making a concerted effort there on both sides of the puck. I think his last two games might be his two best.”

The Bruins pulled Swayman for an extra skater at 18:04 of the third period, but Jarry and the Penguins held on.

“It’s the details, it’s the process that we’re sticking to, and we’re getting rewarded for it in a lot of ways,” Swayman said. “I know that we’re not getting the results as of right now, every single game, but that’s going to compound and we’re going to start getting the results game after game.”

NOTES: Penguins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk played against his former team for the first time after he signed in Pittsburgh on July 1. He spent parts of eight seasons with the Bruins after they selected him in the third round (No. 85) of the 2012 NHL Draft. “I really didn’t know what to expect at all,” Grzelcyk said. “I just tried to lock in as much as I can, and obviously my teammates were kind of giving me grief here for a couple days, but [it’s] just cool.” … Crosby had his 1,020th NHL assist and needs three to tie Gordie Howe for fifth with one franchise in NHL history.