Canucks rally with 2 goals late in 3rd, top Bruins in OT to end 4-game skid

Boeser parked himself on the right side of the crease to tap in a hard pass from J.T. Miller from the top of the left face-off circle.

Filip Hronek tied the game 2-2 with 1:11 left in the third period and Thatcher Demko pulled for an extra attacker.

Miller had three assists and Demko made 20 saves for the Canucks (38-16-6), who hadn’t lost more than two in a row all season before the recent slide. Vancouver moved back into first place in the NHL, one point ahead of the Bruins and New York Rangers.

Jeremy Swayman made 35 saves and Jesper Boqvist and Danton Heinen scored for the Bruins (34-12-3), who have points in five straight games (2-0-3) but haven’t won in regulation since beating the Canucks 4-0 in Boston on Feb. 8.

Hronek tied it 2-2 with a slap shot from the point that beat Swayman, who was screened by Boeser at the top of the crease, high on the glove side.

Boeser made it 2-1 at 12:49 of the third period, shooting a bouncing puck past Swayman on the blocker side from the left face-off dot after a cross-ice pass from Nikita Zadorov. 

Boqvist put Boston ahead 1-0 at 5:27 of the second period on a breakaway from the hash marks after getting behind Hronek following a neutral zone face-off battle. Boqvist took a nice pass from Justin Brazeau, who was playing his third NHL game, around defenseman Quinn Hughes and scored on a forehand deke in tight around the outstretched right pad of Demko.

Heinen made it 2-0 at 11:15, shoveling the puck inside the left post from the top of the crease after Trent Frederic’s wraparound attempt from the other side.