It was 4-1.

The Bruins found themselves in a familiar position Saturday night: up two goals late, facing a team with an extra attacker.

This time, however, the Bruins avoided any wacky bounces or self-inflicted wounds, settling things with a David Pastrnak empty-netter and ending the night with a 4-1 win over Detroit.

The B’s took a 2-0 lead into the third period behind goals from Pavel Zacha (PPG) and Charlie McAvoy, only to see Joe Veleno get one back seven minutes into the third.

Pastrnak extended the lead five minutes later with his second penalty shot goal of the season, then ended it with a 3/4-length bank shot empty-netter.

To the highlights!

Pavel Zacha knocked home a loose puck on the power play to make it 1-0 Bruins midway through the first period.

I’m still not entirely sure what happened here, but it counts! Charlie McAvoy takes it TO THE HOOP and the puck squirts through Ville Husso to make it 2-0 Bruins late in the second.

After forcing a turnover by Charlie Coyle, Joe Valeno makes a couple of good moves before finishing the play with a wicked shot, beating Jeremy Swayman to make it 2-1 Bruins in the third.

After getting slashed on a breakaway during 4-on-4 play, David Pastrnak tortures Ville Husso and finishes into the top of the net on a penalty shot. 3-1 Bruins.

With Detroit pulling the goalie with nearly four minutes left in the third, the Bruins held down the fort long enough for Pastrnak to seal the deal with one of the cooler empty-netters you’ll see. A BILLIARDS SHOT. 4-1 Bruins.

Game notes

• The Bruins coaches should consider keeping their 1920s-inspired outfits from tonight. Real “old school bartender” vibes.
• We mentioned in the preview that this was an “offense vs. defense” kind of game — and the Bruins did a great job limiting Detroit, for the most part. The Wings had just 7 shots in the first period and 6 in the second.
• It was another excellent night for the Bruins’ penalty kill, which went a perfect 4-for-4. The B’s have killed nearly 97% of their penalties thus far on the young season.
• I thought Oskar Steen brought some welcome energy to the lineup tonight. The recent call-up skated just about 10 minutes TOI, with two hits and two shots on goal. He did take a minor penalty too, but I thought his overall impact was positive.
• Jeremy Swayman’s outstanding start to the season continues, with just one goal allowed on what was pretty much an unstoppable shot. No knock on Linus Ullmark, but Swayman certainly appears to be the top guy for now.

The Bruins will be back in action on Monday night, when the Florida Panthers come to town for a pre-Halloween showdown.

It’s an appropriately scary Halloween proposition, with flashbacks, nightmares, etc. Fun times.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!