ANAHEIM — The Boston Bruins were once billed as “big and bad” but they were just bad at Honda Center on Wednesday night, when the Ducks devoured them, 6-2, in perhaps their most commanding victory of 2024-25.
The Ducks moved to within two points of a .500 points percentage while Boston’s ship seemed incapable of staying afloat, no matter how many tons of tea were thrown overboard. The Bruins lost their seventh consecutive decision and have been outscored by 23 goals during their ill-timed, injury-riddled and departure-influenced funk.
Jackson LaCombe scored a goal and assisted on one of two by Leo Carlsson, with Nikita Nesterenko, Cutter Gauthier and Mason McTavish also lighting the lamp. Alex Killorn contributed two assists (including the 300th of his NHL career). All five goal-scorers were aged 23 or under. It was the 11th time this season that the Ducks scored five or more goals, going 11-0-0 in those contests. John Gibson made 23 saves.
Morgan Geekie had a goal and set up one by David Pastrnak for Boston. Former Kings goalie Joonas Korpisalo bore the brunt of a listless night in front of him and made some errors of his own, stopping 31 of 37 shots. Top defenseman Charlie McAvoy practiced in a non-contact jersey on Tuesday, but did not play Wednesday and will not return during this road trip, Boston coach Joe Sacco said.
That Boston practice was focused on puck battles and competitiveness following a 7-2 booting by the Kings on Sunday. Those two days off seemed to do little for the flagging, sagging Bruins.
The Ducks domineered Boston in the first period, tripling them up with a 15-5 shot advantage and garnering more than 86% of the expected goals for, per Natural Stat Trick. Their edge was in the mid-90s well into the frame, but they didn’t score until 2:27 remained, and did so shorthanded.
A puck battle in the Ducks’ zone saw Carlsson emerge with possession, moving into the neutral zone and feathering a pass to Killorn. Killorn’s return pass eluded the long reach of Mason Lohrei, setting up Carlsson’s rising shot to the short side. Killorn’s silky saucer pass was his 300th career assist, which extended his scoring streak to three games.
The Ducks’ dominance continued in the second period, and they extended their lead to three goals by the intermission. They maintained a 3:1 shot ratio, at 28-9, and had 15 high-danger chances to the Bruins’ one.
They first pounced on one of Boston’s many miscues in the neutral zone. Defenseman Michael Callahan failed to corral the puck at the offensive blue line, sending him stumbling into a neutral-zone foot race with Nesterenko. The Brooklyn-born Nesterenko rumbled ahead and slipped a point-blank shot through Korpisalo at the 13:58 mark.
During the goal, Callahan took his frustration out on Jansen Harkins, cross-checking him up high (Harkins later avenged during a third-period fight). Less than a minute into the ensuing power play, the Ducks racked up 14 penalty minutes during a scrum near the boards. Frank Vatrano took exception to Parker Wotherspoon and slammed him to the ice, pinning him amid the fracas.
As a result, the Bruins soon had a two-man advantage, which they made good on by converting on a quick-hitting play to Pastrnak off an offensive-zone faceoff win at 16:20. Pastrnak was being shadowed heavily most of the night and linemate Casey Mittelstadt seemed challenged when attempting to finish the Czech star’s passes or rebounds.
The Ducks responded with goals 48 seconds apart at 17:57 and 18:45.
LaCombe pulled a rabbit from his hat after he set up Sam Colangelo for a missed shot attempt. LaCombe recovered the puck as it was sitting on the nylon at the base of the net, sending it skyward. The puck became a fluttering, magic bullet as it ricocheted off Korpisalo’s back, hit the crossbar and then banked home off Korpisalo’s helmet.
Gauthier added an insurance marker as Killorn recorded his second primary assist of the evening with some industriousness on the forecheck and a pass for Gauthier, who slid an ostensibly weak shot that snuck under Korpisalo’s pad.
The youth brigade continued its assault when LaCombe casually stole the puck back from Pastrnak in the Boston zone before dishing it to Carlsson, who rifled a shot past both Korpisalo and Wotherspoon for his second goal of the game and 18th of the campaign.
McTavish, who had been dangerous for much of the night, and Geekie, who also had some jump, exchanged goals in a 21-second spurt between 12:25 and 12:46.
McTavish scored unassisted after he also picked off Pastrnak, this time after he made a casual backhand pass toward the offensive blue line. McTavish dashed all the way to the left faceoff dot and tucked a far-side snipe under the crossbar.
Geekie would claw that goal, but it wasn’t much of a balm for the sting of seven straight losses, almost all of them lopsided.
More to come on this story.
UP NEXT
The Ducks play host to the New York Rangers on Friday at 7 p.m.