Boston Bruins at Vancouver Canucks

Boeser scores 2 to lead Canucks to 3-2 overtime win over Bruins

Filip Hronek also scored for the Canucks, who came back from two goals down to snap a four-game losing streak. Thatcher Demko finished with 20 saves as Vancouver maintained the top overall spot in the NHL standings with 82 points..

“Maybe the last three, four games, the bench would have been a little different, slamming sticks and stuff,” Canucks coach Rick Tocchet said. “I didn’t see that tonight. There wasn’t frustration, even though we were down 2-0.”

J.T. Miller had three assists to stretch his point streak to four games (five goals and four assists).

“Millsy willed the game,” Tocchet said. “His third period was incredible.”

On the winning goal during 4-on-3 play in the extra period, Boeser scored on a tip in front on Miller's shot 25 seconds after after Boston was whistled for too many men on the ice.

Jesper Boqvist and Danton Heinen scored for Boston, which lost its second straight in overtime and is 2-1-4 in its last seven games. Jeremy Swayman had 36 saves. The Bruins are tied with the Rangers for tops in the Eastern Conference with 81 points, though New York has a game in hand.

"My D-men did a great job and unfortunately it just comes down to one shot, right?” Swayman said. “A lot of great positives came from it, and the d-men boxing guys out and letting me have let a clear look at it was a really big thing for us.”

The Bruins went 0 for 4 on the power play, while the Canucks were 0 for 1 until Boeser’s overtime tally snapped a 1-for-29 stretch.

Both goalies stood tall in a scoreless first period, where the Bruins outshot the Canucks 10-9. David Pastrnak led the way with three shots for Boston, including a point-blank power-play chance from the left faceoff circle late in the period.

In the second period, the Bruins built a 2-0 lead. Boqvist opened the scoring at 5:27 as he broke in alone and laid a sweet deke on Demko for his third of the season. Just under six minutes later, Heinen drove to the net and backhanded a loose puck out of the crease and over the goal line to double the lead.

The Canucks spoiled Swayman’s shutout bid with 7:11 remaining in the third as Boeser fired a wrister to the short side.

Then, with Demko on the bench for the extra attacker, Hronek fired a shot from the blue line to tie it with 1:11 remaining.

Miller felt his team delivered a good effort that would have stood up, regardless of the outcome.

“I feel like we outplayed one of the best teams in the league today for 60 straight minutes, even though we were losing,” Miller said. “Let’s not make it more than it is, it’s just a hockey game in February. But timing-wise, it feels good, just for the way that it’s been going a little bit lately.”

Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk returned to the Boston lineup after missing one game with a lower-body injury.

Vancouver forward Dakota Joshua missed his sixth game with a broken hand.

UP NEXT

Bruins: At Seattle on Monday night to finish a four-game trip.

Canucks: Host Pittsburgh on Tuesday night in the second of a three-game homestand.

Series tied 1-1