The top line of Brad Marchand, David Krejci and David Pastrnak score three straight goals in the second period to spark the win.
BOSTON -- The Bruins’ three-game-old top line of Brad Marchand, David Krejci and David Pastrnak scored three straight goals in the second period to lift the Bruins to their third straight victory, a 4-3 decision over the Coyotes on Tuesday night at TD Garden.
The Bruins were as sharp in the second period as they were dull in the first, which saw them fall behind 2-0 in a span of 40 seconds.
The B’s scored four times in 4:50, with the young line of rookies Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson and Ryan Donato with second-year winger Danton Heinen starting the blitz, and the line of Patrice Bergeron (injured) fill-in Krejci between Marchand and Pastrnak followed with three in a row.
All four goals -- Heinen at 8:40, Pastrnak at 9:13, and Marchand at 11:31 and 13:30 -- came on rushes or passing plays. The best of the lot was probably Marchand’s go-ahead goal: It started with Krejci entering the offensive zone on the right side, feeding cross-ice to Pastrnak in the left circle, and Pastrnak delivering a perfect shot-pass to Marchand, who tipped it home to make it 3-2 with 8:29 to go.
Pastrnak extended a scoring streak to four games; Krejci and Marchand both put up points for the third game in a row.
Coming off back-to-back wins over the Maple Leafs (6-3, Saturday) and Senators (2-1 on Sunday, in overtime), Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy went with the same 12 skaters, leaving out winger Noel Acciari and defenseman Jeremy Lauzon.
The only switch was Cassidy’s move away from what had become a goaltender rotation. Tuukka Rask, coming off a 27-save win at Ottawa, got his second start in a row.
The B’s had a tremendous chance to jump ahead when Coyotes forward Clayton Keller was penalized four minutes for high-sticking and cutting his former Boston University teammate, Charlie McAvoy. The Bruins’ first unit got a good scoring chance when Pastrnak stopped a clearing attempt along the left-wing boards and snapped it to David Backes in the right circle, but Darcy Kuemper stopped that shot. An even better opportunity came from the second unit, but Colby Cave missed a half-empty net from just off the crease after Kuemper saved Heinen’s one-timer from the right circle.
The period turned when defenseman Matt Grzelcyk took a hooking penalty at 10:31. Early in the shorthanded situation, Chris Wagner broke up a play at center ice, held the puck long enough for Marchand to get behind a defender, then sent him on a breakaway. Kuemper squeezed his pads together to stop Marchand’s breakaway, and the Coyotes turned their ensuing possession into a 1-0 lead. Nick Schmaltz one-timed Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s feed off the near post, but it caromed off Rask’s right skate and slid over the goal line at 12:22.
The visitors went up 2-0 just 40 seconds later, taking advantage of a passive shift by the Bruins’ fourth line of Wagner, Sean Kuraly and Gemel Smith to set Nick Cousins for a clear shot from the right circle. It hit defenseman John Moore’s leg and dipped past Rask to the near side.