Fresh off of a matinee home win against the New York Rangers on Saturday, the Bruins kept the good vibes coming with a 5-3 win over the Canadiens in Montreal.
After a strong effort behind the net from Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron pounces on a loose puck to make it 1-0 Bruins.
After being awarded a penalty shot, Erik Haula goes with the ol’ fake out, then beats Sam Montembeault to make it 2-0 Bruins.
Josh Anderson collects a loose puck and slides it under Jeremy Swayman to make it 2-1 Bruins early in the second.
A few minutes after Anderson’s goal, Haula does not whiff on the puck this time, striking again to make it 3-1 Bruins.
With the teams playing 4-on-4 after matching minors for Marchand and Anderson, Charlie McAvoy cashes in to make it 4-1 Bruins.
The Bruins were in control, but a penalty early in the third period gave Montreal life, and Mike Hoffman cashed in to make it 4-2 Bruins.
Just four minutes later, Nick Suzuki cut the Bruins’ lead to one, making it 4-3 Bruins halfway through the third.
The Habs would press late in the third period, but a few good stops from Swayman kept the Bruins’ lead intact.
Bergeron finished things off with an empty-net goal with six seconds, sending the Bruins to a 5-3 win and a perfect weekend!
Game notes
- When you’re playing your second game in two days and are once again missing some big names, it’s prime Jack Edwards time: “they don’t ask how, they just ask how many.” The Bruins certainly weren’t perfect tonight, and their lapses nearly sunk them, but a win is a win.
- Already missing David Pastrnak and Hampus Lindholm, the Bruins appeared to dodge a bullet when a hit on Taylor Hall ended up not being as bad as it originally looked. We’re firmly in “please don’t get hurt” territory at this point in the season.
- Another game without a PPG for the Bruins – hey, at least it was only an 0-for-1 this time!
- While he didn’t score, Brad Marchand had himself an “engaged” game tonight. He had two assists, mixed it up regularly, and managed to walk the line without fully going over it. At this point, you have to think the goals will come soon.
- One can’t help but cut the Bruins a little bit of slack for the dip at the start of the third period tonight. After a high-intensity game against a possible first-round opponent on Saturday, the B’s came to Montreal to play a (relatively) meaningless game against a team that’s been out since just about December. Sure, you want to see this one end 5-1 or 6-1, but they managed to clamp down when it mattered.
- Haula’s penalty shot attempt was a wild one, eerily reminiscent of Marchand’s flub against the Flyers a couple years ago. Hey, at least he didn’t touch it!
- Speaking of Haula, per NESN’s postgame show, he has 18 points (nine and nine) in his last 17 games.
- No team in the NHL (and arguably, in all of sports) handles pre-game ceremony quite like Montreal, and their tribute to Guy LaFleur prior to the game (and in-game too with the boards) was top notch.
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