BOSTON — Morgan Geekie looked to give the Boston Bruins a 2-1 lead with 12:44 left in Saturday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres. It was challenged, and the officials determined David Pastrnak was offsides and the game remained tied.
“It clearly was offside,” Pastrnak said of the play. “Nothing you can do, obviously. Sometimes it’s tougher on the individual, like I was a part of it, but as a team, you are just moving forward. Offside, nothing you can do, you move forward.”
Geekie said the goal not counting provided him and the team with a little extra motivation because they knew they could beat Sabres goalie James Reimer. And it was evident as the Bruins picked up their intensity after that and Geekie was rewarded with a goal that wasn’t going to get called back on a one-timer from the slot with 1:45 to go en route to the 3-1 win at TD Garden.
“Hockey gods were on Geeks’ side today,” Nikita Zadorov said after the game.
“It’s definitely a good look. It’s one of those shots that’s tough to pass up, for sure,” Geekie said. “So just try to get more in that shooter’s mentality, and not pass those up.”
This season didn’t start off so well for Geekie and he was a healthy scratch for three consecutive games earlier in the year due to being in an offensive slump. He came up big for Boston when he sparked a third period rally with a goal late in the third period in the Bruins’ eventual win over the St. Louis Blues last month.
Things have been clicking for Geekie of late with three goals in his last four games.
“I think just our line has a little bit more chemistry. I think we’ve been playing a little bit more, not passing up shots, trying to get pucks to the net,” Geekie said. “So I’m trying to get to the net as much as I can with (Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha). I know they like to make plays and get the puck inside. And someone’s gotta do the dirty work a little bit and get inside the crease.”
Interim coach Joe Sacco attributed Geekie’s recent success to being on a line with players like Zacha and Pastrnak — “two very good offensive players.”
“I think he’s obviously playing on a good line with two very good offensive players, but he’s finding his niche out there right now,” Sacco said. “He’s finding some open ice because he can shoot, and he’s getting to the netfront, which I think is very important for that line.
“I know he scored from outside here tonight at the end of the power play, but more often in the offensive zone that line needs someone to drive to the front of the net,” he continued. “And he’s been doing a much better job of that, opening up space for the other two guys on the outside.”
Geekie has five goals in his last eight games and he’s helped give the top line a spark with scoring. He entered the month of December with just two goals, but it appears he’s found his groove alongside Pastrnak and Zacha.
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