Ducks game ends with Bruins rookies turning in first NHL goal, first win
Frederic Brunet scored his first NHL goal and Michael DiPietro won his first NHL start as the Boston Bruins beat the Anaheim Ducks 4-2 Friday night at Honda Center.
Why the Ducks game is trending
Friday night at Honda Center, the Anaheim Ducks lost 4-2 to the Boston Bruins, and that result is what is driving the search traffic around "ducks game." Two Boston players picked up career firsts in the same night. Defenseman Frederic Brunet scored his first NHL goal, and goaltender Michael DiPietro earned his first NHL win.
The game is already final. This is a recap of what already happened, not a look ahead to anything still to be played.
How the game went
Boston took control early. Tim Washe and Beckett Sennecke each scored in the final minute of the first period, putting the Bruins up 2-0 before Anaheim had an answer. DiPietro held the line from there, finishing the night with 25 saves in just his second NHL start of the season.
Anaheim got within one when Brunet, working the point on a power play, settled a pass from James Hagens and put a shot past Ducks goaltender Lukas Dostal to make it 2-1 at 3:15 of the second period. Boston scored three power-play goals on the night overall, enough to put the game away at 4-2.
Two paths that crossed in Providence
Brunet and DiPietro were teammates a year ago with the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League, both trying to find a way to the NHL. DiPietro's road ran longer, one season in the ECHL and six in the AHL before Boston gave him his shot. Brunet is a 23-year-old rookie defenseman, and head coach Marco Sturm has already put him on the power play, running the second unit.
Sturm singled out Brunet's footwork and his ability to drag the puck across the blue line as reasons he trusted him with the role early.
What they said after
Brunet said scoring his first goal alongside DiPietro's first win made the night better than he could have scripted it. "I couldn't ask for a better night," he said.
DiPietro said he was still processing how long the road to this point had been, and that he was looking forward to calling his dad and his wife about it. He also said he wants to build on the one win rather than treat it as a finish line. For Anaheim, Friday's loss is now in the books, while Boston leaves Honda Center with two players who spent last season grinding in the minors now carrying milestones into the rest of the year.
Facts per NHL.com, ESPN box score, ESPN box score. Opinion is the taproom's.