Bruins Find A New Way to Lose, Falling 2-1 in OT to Kings w/0.4 Seconds Left In Extra Frame

Before I saw it with my own two eyes tonight, I probably wouldn't have believed that you could win a face-off and pass the puck back for a one-timer that goes in for a game-winning goal in under a second. That's what makes sports especially hockey so great though, the knowledge that you can watch a million games and yet always notice something unique. Los Angeles (9-1-1) beat Boston (4-3-2) 2-1 at TD Garden on an incredible tally by Tyler Toffoli with 0.4 seconds left in overtime.

It was a crazy way to lose for the B's and there were so many things that could have gone differently: Torey Krug iced the puck with four seconds left, LA called timeout but David Pastrnak was on the ice (remember 3-on-3 in OT) with Krug and Anders Bjork. Pastrnak tried to fall on the puck but Anze Kopitar (one of the best faceoff guys in the NHL) pulled it back to Toffoli for his second goal of the game and fifth of the season. The play was reviewed but the puck was already in the net with 0.4 seconds left. Finally, the refs had put half a second back on the clock so if they hadn't done that, it wouldn't have gotten off in time.

Bigger picture, the Bruins put together a pretty complete performance against one of the better teams in the league. For the third straight contest, the B's scored first as Brad Marchand (6 goals, 5 assists in his last 6 games) tapped in with his backhand a sweet cross ice feed from McAvoy (6 assists in his last 6 games) at 5:27 of the first period. Bjork had the second assist on Marchand's team-leading 7th goal of the season. LA was not daunted as Toffoli tied it up only 3:34 after Marchand's goal. He whipped a loose puck by Tuukka Rask (28 saves in his return from a concussion and a 3-game absence).

Not much happened in the second or third period, both teams went 0-for-2 on their respective power plays but they obviously saved up all the collective excitement for an absolutely insane extra frame. Each club had 26 shots on goal in regulation and four in overtime. Drew Doughty was called for goaltender interference just 13 seconds into overtime after he barreled into Rask but surrisingly, Patrice Bergeron (his Team Canada homie) was also nabbed for slashing on that play. By the way, how cheesy are slashing calls in the NHL nowadays?

Former UMass star Jonathan Quick (29 saves) is back to his old form as he was brilliant in overtime: stopping McAvoy twice and Bjork on a breakaway. Rask did his part to keep the game going with an earlier quality save on Toffoli. It's hard to blame Rask or anyone on the Bruins besides head coach Bruce Cassidy (how do you let Pastrnak take a key face-off) but then again, who could have predicted that once in a lifetime ending? The only recent similar play against the B's came a little over three years ago: Daniel Briere (back when he was on Colorado) helped beat them with a goal on October 13, 2014 with less than a second remaining in regulation.

Boston has played six home games already (3-1-2) so they go back on the road (where they are 1-2-0) for Monday's (7, NESN) meeting in Columbus (7-4-0). The Blue Jackets are one of the better squads in the Eastern Conference so the Bruins will have their hands full there. Somehow the Black and Gold return here for three more games at the Garden to kick off November: Thursday (7, NESN) vs. Vegas (8-1-0)-easily the surprise of the NHL, off to the best start ever for an expansion team; Saturday night (7, NESN) vs. struggling Washington (4-5-1) and Monday (7, NESN) vs. Minnesota (4-3-2). Any way you slice it, that's a tough week for the B's so they'll have to put this shocking loss behind them and soon.

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