Sports · NEWS EXPLAINER
Bruins beat Kings 4–1: the rebound that broke the tie and what the final score hides
Marat Khusnutdinov converted a third-period rebound before two empty-net goals widened Boston’s margin. The Bruins won their fifth straight while Los Angeles remained winless at 0–4–2.
The Boston Bruins beat the Los Angeles Kings 4–1 on October 17, but the final margin hides how late the game turned. The score was 1–1 until Marat Khusnutdinov finished a rebound at 13:36 of the third period. Boston’s last two goals went into an empty net.
The result extended Boston’s winning streak to five games and left Los Angeles 0–4–2, its longest winless start since 1984–85. The Kings have scored exactly one goal in four consecutive games, making the late two-goal margin less important than the offense they could not add while the game was tied.
A 1–1 game until the final seven minutes
Alex Laferriere put Los Angeles ahead 31 seconds into the game after moving onto the first line. David Pastrnak tied it at 2:43 of the second period, extending his point streak to five games.
Neither team scored again until Khusnutdinov found a rebound and put Boston ahead at 13:36 of the third. That was the decisive goal in normal five-on-five play.
Why 4–1 looks more comfortable than the game was
Los Angeles pulled its goalie while chasing the equalizer. Elias Lindholm scored into the empty net at 18:02, and Khusnutdinov added another empty-net goal at 19:42.
Those two goals count fully in the result, but they do not show Boston holding a three-goal advantage through ordinary play. The useful reading is a late 2–1 edge followed by the risk a trailing team accepts with an extra attacker.
The starts are moving in opposite directions
Boston improved to 7–2–0 and completed a California sweep with its fifth consecutive victory. Jeremy Swayman made 25 saves, while Pastrnak and Khusnutdinov each finished with a goal and an assist.
Los Angeles fell to 0–4–2. Reuters and AP both identify it as the franchise’s longest winless opening since 1984–85, and the Kings have been held to one goal in four straight games.
What to watch next
Boston next returns home to play the New York Islanders, while Los Angeles continues its schedule against Pittsburgh. Those are schedule checkpoints rather than predictions about lineups or results.
For the Bruins, the next test is whether the five-game run continues without relying on late empty-net separation. For the Kings, the immediate measurement is simpler: generating more than one goal and converting a competitive game into a first win.
