Photo: @NHL
The Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks clashed in the 11th Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana, just under two hours away from Chicago in New Year’s Day matinee. The Bruins won the game, 4-2.
This was the third outdoor game for the Bruins, all in the Winter Classic. They defeated the Philadelphia Flyers by a score of 2-1 in overtime at Fenway Park, home of the MLB’s Boston Red Sox, in 2010 and lost to the Montreal Canadiens by a score of 5-1 at Gilette Stadium, home of the NFL’s New England Patriots, in Foxborough, Massachusetts, in 2016 for an all-time record of 1-1-0 in outdoor games heading into today.
This was the league-high sixth outdoor game for the Blackhawks, the fourth of which in the Winter Classic. They lost to the Detroit Red Wings by a score of 6-4 at Wrigley Field, home of the MLB’s Chicago Cubs, in the 2009 Winter Classic; beat the Pittsburgh Penguins by a score of 5-1 at Soldier Field, home of the NFL’s Chicago Bears, in the 2014 Stadium Series; lost 3-2 to the Washington Capitals at Nationals Park, home of the MLB’s Washington Nationals, in the 2015 Winter Classic; lost 6-1 to the Minnesota Wild at The University of Minnesota’s TCF Bank Stadium in the 2016 Stadium Series; and lost 4-1 to the St. Louis Blues at Busch Stadium, home of the MLB’s St. Louis Cardinals, in the 2017 Winter Classic for an all-time record of 1-4-0 in outdoor games going into today.
Chicago headed into today’s game on the heels of two straight wins and as winners of five of their last six and six of their last nine. The Blackhawks entered the Winter Classic sixth in the Central Division and 13th in the Western Conference with 36 points, eight back of the final wild-card spot (which is currently held by the Dallas Stars).
Boston snapped a two-game losing streak with a 3-2 win at the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday, their last game before the Winter Classic. The Bruins entered today’s game tied with the New York Islanders for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with 46 points. The Islanders, who have won four consecutive games, now have two games in hand on the Bruins.
Starting Goaltenders
Tuukka Rask, who entered the game 9-8-2 with a save percentage of .912 and a goals-against average of 2.67, started for Boston.
Cam Ward, who entered the game 6-6-4 with a save percentage of .886 and a goals-against average of 3.90, started for Chicago.
First Period
Blackhawks forward Brendan Perlini opened the scoring eight and a half minutes into the game wristing a shot from the slot after forward Dylan Sikura stole the puck from the Bruins behind their own net.
The @NHLBlackhawks strike first! @Bubzp11 finds twine from out front. #WinterClassic pic.twitter.com/Aw9lxVpJaG
— NHL (@NHL) January 1, 2019
Bruins forward David Pastrnak responded 4:08 later with his 24th goal of the season after center Patrice Bergeron pressured the Blackhawks in their own zone and stripped the puck from them. He found Pastrnak in front of the net and Pastrnak buried it beneath the pad of Ward.
Pasta! The @NHLBruins answer back with a big goal and a bigger celebration from @pastrnak96.#WinterClassic pic.twitter.com/hRvtrl9X6U
— NHL (@NHL) January 1, 2019
The Bruins led 14-12 in shots after one period of play.
Second Period
Forward Dominik Kahun gave the Blackhawks the lead back with 8:36 left in the period deflecting a shot from defenseman Erik Gustafson near the left circle.
The @NHLBlackhawks take the lead back! Dominik Kahun with the tip to get this massive crowd on its feet.#WinterClassic pic.twitter.com/oY1TdKcHrV
— NHL (@NHL) January 1, 2019
Bergeron tied the game for the Bruins with 1:12 left in the period on a backhand shot from the slot after getting it from Pastrnak on the man advantage.
We’re tied again! Bergeron gets it done, as he does.
The @Bridgestone NHL #WinterClassic is tied 2-2 through two periods. pic.twitter.com/cPWrF1Ytc2
— NHL (@NHL) January 1, 2019
The Blackhawks led 28-24 in shots after two periods, including 16-10 in the middle frame.
NHL Announcements
The Calgary Flames and the Winnipeg Jets will play at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan in the NHL Heritage Classic on October 26.
The Dallas Stars will host the 2020 NHL Winter Classic at Cotton Bowl Stadium. The opponent has yet to be determined.
Commissioner Gary Bettman stated on NBC that there is “no excuse for public profanity” on Stars’ CEO Jim Lite’s comments earlier this week on star forwards Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin’s performances this season. He also added that he will make an effort to stay out of that business in the future.
If you somehow missed it: Stars CEO Jim Lites asked me to come into his office yesterday and he proceeded to tear into Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin
https://t.co/PgjEnWHUmT— Sean Shapiro (@seanshapiro) December 29, 2018
NHL All-Star Weekend in 2020 will be held at Enterprise Center in St. Louis.
The Colorado Avalanche will host the 2020 NHL Stadium Series at the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Falcon Stadium on February 15, 2020. The opponent has yet to be determined.
Third Period
Forward Sean Kuraly gave the Bruins the lead with 9:40 left after forward Chris Wagner deflected a shot from the point with his hand and the puck went right to Kuraly, who buried it past Ward backdoor.
Get. Up. Sean Kuraly is hot right now, he puts the @NHLBruins ahead in the 3rd. #WinterClassic pic.twitter.com/IKVgryW2c2
— NHL (@NHL) January 1, 2019
Bruins forward Brad Marchand added another empty-netter on a breakaway with 32.8 seconds left in regulation.
The Bruins led 12-10 in third-period shots but the Blackhawks led 38-36 in overall shots.
Key Notes and Stats From NHL PR:
-A sellout crowd of 76,126 fans are attending the 2019 #WinterClassic, the second-highest ever at an NHL game
-Total attendance for the NHL’s 26 regular-season outdoor games: 1,389,739; Average per game: 53,452
-Tuukka Rask is now the all-time leader in games played by an @NHLBruins goaltender; The Winter Classic is the 469th regular-season game of Rask’s career, moving him ahead of Tiny Thompson (468)
-Teams that score first are 15-8-3 in the NHL’s 25 regular-season outdoor games, including a 10-2-1 record in the last 13 such contests
-Temperature at puck drop: 35.5° F (1.9° C)
-Kahun became the second German national ever to score a goal in a regular-season outdoor game, joining forward Marco Sturm (2010 Winter Classic with Bruins); Kahun also became the 11th rookie to score a goal outdoors
1987 Heisman Trophy winner and @NDFootball alumnus @81TimBrown dropped the ceremonial puck before the #WinterClassic. pic.twitter.com/DdUMFMcuol
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) January 1, 2019
Scenes From Notre Dame Stadium
By Harrison Brown
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