Boston Bruins Season Chatter 22/23

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 50

 

Bos 1 Canes 4

 

Aho scores again, Hurricanes beat Bruins 4-1

 

 

0:53

 

Seth Jarvis makes Bruins pay for turnover with goal

Seth Jarvis tips the puck to himself and scores to give Carolina a 3-0 lead.

---

ByAP

Updated: 8 hours ago

 

RALEIGH, N.C. -- — Sebastian Aho scored a goal for the fourth straight game and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Boston Bruins 4-1 on Sunday in a matchup of the teams with the two best records in the NHL.

 

Paul Stastny scored on a second-period power play, Seth Jarvis posted a goal in the third, and Jordan Staal added a short-handed empty-netter as the Hurricanes won their fifth game in a row and extended their points streak to eight games (7-0-1).

 

“We know that team was the cream of the crop,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “They’re lapping everyone right now and I think it was a good test.”

 

Frederik Andersen, playing for the first time since he left Wednesday night’s game in Dallas with an upper-body injury, made 24 saves.

 

Pavel Zacha scored for the Bruins, who lead the NHL with 81 points but have lost three games in a row for the first time this season. Linus Ullmark stopped 32 shots.

 

“There’s a reason why they’re at the top of the standings,” Aho said. “So we needed to bring our best.”

 

With Saturday’s overtime loss at Florida, the Bruins suffered consecutive losses for the first time this season. So this turned out to be an unusual weekend.

 

“On a back-to-back like this, you have to rely on your goaltender to make enough saves and unfortunately I didn’t do that,” Ullmark said.

 

Boston was a season-worst 0 for 6 on power plays, now failing to score with man advantages in its past three games.

 

Aho stole the puck at his defensive blue line took off on a breakaway for his 21st goal of the season with 9:08 left in the first. He has seven goals during his scoring streak.

 

“He seems to have picked that step up again,” Brind’Amour said. “He’s playing at a high level, that’s for sure.”

 

After Carolina’s four successful penalty kills through 30½ minutes, the Hurricanes scored on a power play as Stastny converted from in front of the net with 7:55 left in the second. It was his fourth.

 

Jarvis made a nifty move along the boards to gain control of the puck from Boston defenseman Brandon Carlo and sped into the zone on a breakaway, beating Ullmark at 1:56 of the third for his eighth of the season and first in seven games.

 

“They are good at pressuring you everywhere. Their checking led to turnovers,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. “We didn’t generate chances.”

 

Boston struck back on Zacha’s 10th at 3:22, but failed to reach two goals for just the third time this season.

 

“They play a simple, straight-forward hockey that works for them,” Ullmark said. “You’ve got to be honest with yourself and bring your best. That’s what everybody does to us right now.”

 

Staal capped the scoring with 4:20 left.

 

GOALIES GALORE

 

Andersen has won in his last five decisions, giving him a 10-3-0 record.

 

“I don’t think we really gave up a ton,” Brind’Amour said. “He was good when he had to be.”

 

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 51

 

Bos 5 Leafs 2

 

Pavel Zacha scores twice as Bruins beat Maple Leafs 5-2

 

 

0:52

 

A.J. Greer scores after defender's stick gets caught up in his arms

Boston's A.J. Greer scores while his arms are all caught up in his defender's stick.

---

ByAP

6 hours ago

 

TORONTO -- — Pavel Zacha scored twice in the third period as the Boston Bruins held off the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2 on Wednesday night.

 

Derek Forbort and Brandon Carlo both had goals in the second period as Boston snapped a three-game winless skid. A.J. Greer also scored in the final period and Linus Ullmark made 33 saves.

 

Mitchell Marner scored on the power play, his 19th goal of the season, for Toronto. Calle Jarnkrok had a goal in the third to keep the Maple Leafs in the game. Ilya Samsonov stopped 24 shots in his eighth consecutive game in net for Toronto.

 

Samsonov was 5-1-1 over his last seven starts with a .925 save percentage and 2.24 goals-against average.

 

Forbort snapped home a short-handed goal 6:57 into the second.

 

Marner replied on the power play 2:28 later. After a long leading pass off the boards from Samsonov, Marner skated through the left faceoff circle and snapped a shot past Ullmark to tie it at 1.

 

Carlo reestablished Boston’s one-goal lead a little over three minutes later, taking a pass from Hampus Lindholm and deflecting it past Samsonov from a wide angle.

 

TAVARES PUNK’D

 

John Tavares celebrated his 1,000th game in the NHL on Sunday with two assists in Toronto’s 5-1 win over the Washington Capitals. Timothy Liljegren decided to have a little fun at his captain’s expense after the game, awarding the team’s MVP belt to Mark Giordano instead of Tavares. Giordano said on Wednesday he had intended to give a long speech to really rub salt in Tavares’ wound but when he looked around the room he knew he had to give the belt to its proper recipient.

 

“The joke got a few guys and they were already pretty upset that we didn’t give it to John so I had to turn it over pretty quick,” laughed Giordano.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 52

 

Bos 1 Caps 2

 

Caps edge Bruins, 2-1, despite Ovechkin being held scoreless

By KEN POWTAK

Associated Press

 

BOSTON (AP) Nicklas Backstrom and Garnet Hathaway each scored a goal and the Washington Capitals beat NHL-best Boston 2-1 on Saturday, sending the Bruins to just their second regulation loss at home this season.

The Bruins are 22-2-3 at home. Their other regulation loss at TD Garden came on Jan. 12, a 3-0 setback against Seattle.

Darcy Kuemper made 27 saves for the Capitals, who have won three of their last four games.

"It's definitely `go-time' for us. You could see that in our play," Kuemper said. "It would have been disappointing to come into this building and not put in the effort we did. ... We played unbelievable. That's probably the hardest building to win in this year."

Nick Foligno scored for Boston and backup goalie Jeremy Swayman stopped 21 shots.

"We had our chances," Foligno said of Boston's late surge. "We were just too cute."

Washington star Alex Ovechkin was held without a point for a season-high matching third straight game, only the second time this season that's happened.

With both teams coming off long layoffs between games (Washington 11 days and Boston 10) the Capitals had the better scoring chances in a sloppy first period that saw a handful of breakdowns, mostly by the Bruins, in their own defensive zone.

"I really liked the start," Washington coach Peter Laviolette said. "Coming off the break and not knowing what you're going to get, I thought we played a smart period. I thought we defended well."

Playing just his 11th game after recovering from offseason hip surgery, the 35-year-old Backstrom made it 1-0 when he collected a loose puck that Swayman couldn't cover and flipped it into the net during a 5-on-3 power-play advantage 6:28 into the game.

Swayman stopped a couple of close, high-percentage scoring chances over the next few minutes before Kuemper flashed his right pad to make a stop on David Krejci's wrister on a break-in late in the period.

"The first period was our best," Backstrom said. "We talked about it before (the game). We have to be good against these guys defensively. They're so powerful, they have a lot of good players, skilled players."

Midway into the second period, Kuemper robbed Brad Marchand's close bid. Hathaway then came down the slot after collecting an errant clearing attempt at the blue line and beat Swayman with a wrister over the left shoulder before he was knocked to the ice by defenseman Connor Clifton. Hathaway pointed to the ceiling while he was laying on his back after the goal.

Foligno retrieved a loose puck at the side of the net, flipping it past Kuemper, slicing Boston's deficit in half late in the second.

"I didn't think we had a bad game," Marchand said. "We missed a couple of opportunities that if we capitalize it's a different game."

CLIMBING

Laviolette coached his 1,402nd game, moving past Ron Wilson for the 11th most in NHL history. The 58-year-old Laviolette, who grew up about 30 minutes outside Boston in Franklin, Mass., has the fifth most among active coaches and guided Carolina to the Stanley Cup in 2006.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 53

 

Bos 3 Dallas 2 OT

 

astrnak scores in OT as Bruins rally for 3-2 win over Stars

 

 

0:55

 

David Pastrnak scores one-timer to win it in OT

Charlie McAvoy tees up David Pastrnak for the one-timer to lift the Bruins past the Stars in overtime.

---

ByAP

6 hours ago

 

DALLAS -- — David Pastrnak scored with 1:16 remaining in overtime, and the Boston Bruins rallied for a 3-2 victory over the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night in a matchup of the top team in each conference.

 

Pavel Zacha scored the tying goal in the third period for the NHL-leading Bruins in Jim Montgomery’s first game as a head coach in Dallas since the Stars fired him in 2019 for what he later admitted was a drinking problem.

 

The Stars couldn't convert on 57 seconds of a 5-on-3 power play in the second period and a two-minute 4-on-3 session in the extra period. They finished 3-1-4 on an eight-game homestand that featured five games going to extra time, including four in a row.

 

Western Conference-leading Dallas finished the long homestand with consecutive losses to East contenders. The first was a 3-1 loss to three-time defending East champion Tampa Bay when the Lightning scored the go-ahead goal in the final minute.

 

Taylor Hall opened the scoring for Boston, and Jason Robertson had his team-leading 34th to give Dallas a 2-1 lead in the second period. Joe Pavelski had two assists for Dallas.

 

Pastrnak, who assisted on Zacha's tying goal, scored his team-leading 39th with the teams playing 4-on-4 in overtime because play never stopped after Brad Marchand's interference penalty ended 2 1/2 minutes into the extra period.

 

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 54

 

Bos 5 Preds 0

 

Jeremy Swayman makes 29 saves, Bruins blank Predators 5-0

(AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)

By JIM DIAMOND

Associated Press

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Jeremy Swayman made 29 saves, Patrice Bergeron had a goal and an assist and the Boston Bruins defeated the Nashville Predators 5-0 on Thursday night.

Brad Marchand, Craig Smith, Derek Forbort and Trent Frederic also scored for the Bruins, winners of three of four. Nick Foligno and Hampus Lindholm each had two assists.

"Our best player was Swayman because they had a lot of good looks and he was patient on his feet, made a lot of shoulder saves, glove saves and didn't give up any rebounds," Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said.

Juuse Saros made 25 saves for Nashville. The Predators have dropped three of four coming out of the All-Star break. Nashville's hopes of getting back into contention for a playoff spot in the tough Western Conference are fading.

"They beat us in a lot of areas," Predators coach John Hynes said. "It wasn't good enough by us. We got beat. We've got to execute better in certain areas, but I'd say the game in general, they were the better team in all facets."

The shutout was the second of the season and seventh of Swayman's career. Swayman's best stop came midway through the third when he denied an attempt from an unchecked Tommy Novak in the slot.

"It's really hard to get wins in this league, let alone shutouts," Swayman said. "It's a team effort. The guys in front of me made it possible, so I couldn't have done it without them."

Marchand scored the game's first goal at 2:54 of the opening period. A shot from Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm caromed off of the end glass and sent the Bruins the other way on a 3-on-1 break. Marchand had a virtually open net after a slick give-and-go passing sequence with Bergeron.

The Bruins are 27-0-3 when scoring first this season.

Smith, a former Predator, began the three-goal second for the Bruins, a period in which Boston put just seven shots on Saros.

"To be honest, we came in the room after the second and we were all embarrassed what was happening out there," Predators captain Roman Josi said. "It definitely wasn't enough. It was a 5-0 game, so there wasn't enough pushback."

Lindholm's two assists gave him 200 for his NHL career.

SUCCESS AGAINST NASHVILLE

Swayman has been perfect in his two career games against the Predators, pitching a shutout in both. In his only previous game against Nashville, played Dec. 2, 2021, a much busier Swayman turned aside all 42 shots he faced in Boston's 2-0 victory.

"It's definitely one you circle on the calendar, definitely a fun city to come visit," he said.

NO PUCK LUCK

Thursday's second period was a tough one for Predators defenseman Jeremy Lauzon, as two of Boston's three goals in the period deflected in off of his stick.

At 1:11 of the second, Smith's backhand from the left of the net hit off of Lauzon's stick, and that was followed at 11:15 when Forbort's pass attempt tipped off of Lauzon's stick in the slot and slipped between Saros' pads.

After being a second-round pick of Boston in 2015, Lauzon spent his first three NHL seasons with the Bruins.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 55

 

Bos 6 NYI 2

 

DeBrusk returns, scores to power Bruins past Islanders 6-2

By JIMMY GOLEN

AP Sports Writer

 

BOSTON (AP) Jake DeBrusk didn't hesitate when asked what he missed most about sitting out 17 games with a broken leg: "Scoring goals."

The Bruins forward didn't waste any time after missing six weeks, scoring two minutes into the game on Saturday to propel NHL-leading Boston to a 6-2 victory over the tired New York Islanders.

"I've been waiting for this day for a while, and I just wanted to get a goal," said DeBrusk, who scored twice, including the game-winner, in the Jan. 2 Winter Classic despite playing on a fractured fibula and hadn't played since.

"I just wanted to get the first one," he said Saturday. "It was great to get that."

Trent Frederic had a pair of goals and Linus Ullmark stopped 26 shots for the Bruins, who have won four of their last five games to amass 89 points and the NHL's best record. Nick Foligno, Patrice Bergeron and Pavel Zacha also scored for Boston.

Kyle Palmieri and Matt Martin scored and Semyon Varlamov made 21 saves for the Islanders.

MILESTONES

It was Bergeron's 20th goal of the season - the 10th straight year, and 14th in his career, that he has reached the milestone.

"He's the model of consistency in this league," Foligno said. "He's a guy that I've admired, a long time - and all of us do. He plays the game the right way. I think that's one of the best compliments you can get as a player. And and he does that."

Bergeron scored when DeBrusk's shot hit high off the glass behind the net and bounced back over the net and into the crease. The Bruins captain tipped it out of the air, about one foot from the goal line.

"He has a nose for understanding the scoring areas and the places to be. There's a reason why that guy doesn't go through too many slumps in his career," Foligno said. "We're lucky to have him. He's the gold standard."

ROUGH SCHEDULE

New York was playing on back-to-back nights after beating Pittsburgh on Friday night to snap a three-game losing streak.

"There's a lot of times in the season where you have the advantage, and sometimes you have the disadvantage," Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. "That first period, that's the way you want to play when you have a team on back-to-backs."

HOW THEY SCORED

DeBrusk scored a power-play goal on his second shift back, taking a pass from Brad Marchand and flipping it through Varlamov's legs. The Bruins, who won 5-0 in Nashville on Thursday night, made it 3-0 before Palmieri got the Islanders on the board early in the second.

But Boston made it 4-1 on Bergeron's goal. Frederic scored three minutes later, and Zacha added on late in the period.

HOME COOKING

The Bruins have only lost twice at home in regulation, including a 2-1 defeat by the Washington Capitals on Feb. 11, their only other game in Boston since the All-Star break.

"We just talked about getting the home win. The other night we didn't get one here, coming back off the break and it ticked us off," Foligno said. "Something we talked about at the start of the year was being a real hard team at home, being a hard place to play. We wanted to get back to that."

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 56

 

Bos 3 Sens 1

 

Bruins win 4th straight; Pastrnak nets 2 to pass 40 goals

By JIMMY GOLEN

AP Sports Writer

 

BOSTON (AP) David Pastrnak had already scored twice, and with the Senators' net empty, a third was within reach.

The Bruins forward passed up the chance at a hat trick - and the league lead in goals - and fed the puck to teammate David Krejci, whose family was at the game for a celebration honoring his 1,000th career NHL game.

"That was my only goal," said Pastrnak, who scored twice to lead Boston to a 3-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Monday. "I was looking for him all game."

Linus Ullmark stopped 30 shots in the Bruins' fourth straight victory. Jake DeBrusk also scored for Boston - the second straight time he has opened the scoring in two games since returning from an injury.

Pastrnak broke a second-period tie to pass the 40-goal plateau for the third time in his career, and added another goal in the third for No. 41. Edmonton's Connor McDavid leads the league with 42 goals.

With the Bruins in the Ottawa zone and no goalie in net in the final minute, Pastrnak was looking for Krecji.

"It just says a lot about the character that (Pastrnak) has as a human being, and understanding it was a big night for Krech," said DeBrusk, who returned Saturday after missing 17 games with a broken leg. "He's in position to get a hat trick and he still dishes it to Krech. It's pretty cool."

Claude Giroux scored and Kevin Mandolese stopped 29 shots for the Senators, who were playing back-to-back games; they beat St. Louis on Sunday. Ottawa had won its previous two games against Boston this season.

Playing in only his second game since the Jan. 2 Winter Classic, DeBrusk gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead with five minutes remaining in the first. Giroux tied it for Ottawa with 30 seconds left in the period.

It remained that way until the Bruins had two good scoring chances late in the second.

The first came when Pavel Zacha went crashing into Mandolese and lost control of the puck. A review showed that it never crossed the goal line. On the ensuing faceoff, Charlie McAvoy found Pastrnak to the goalie's left and Pastrnak sent the puck high into the corner of the net.

Midway through the third, Pastrnak drifted down the ice while his teammates fought to gain control in their own zone. Finally, McAvoy chipped the puck free from one knee and it made it to Pastrnak, who had a 20-foot lead on the nearest defender.

"He beat three guys with one pass," said Pastrnak, who skated in on Mandolese, switched to his backhand at the last minute and then slid it through the goalie's pads.

KREJCI'S MOMENT

The Bruins honored Krejci before the opening faceoff for playing in his 1,000th game.

The forward, who reached the milestone on Jan. 16, has played his entire 16-year NHL career in Boston. The ceremony featured a video with tributes from current and former teammates including Zdeno Chara and Jaromir Jagr to Patrice Bergeron and Pastrnak.

Krejci's family joined him on the ice when he was given a silver engraved stick, a watch, a painting and a Tiffany crystal from the NHL, which was presented by Hall of Famer John Bucyk.

Many of the Bruins wore hats with a special "1KREJCI" logo.

ANTHEM ISSUES

Bruins anthem singer Todd Angilly had to do a restart before the game when he began with the U.S. national anthem for the game against Ottawa.

With the Canadian flag shown on the scoreboard, Angilly belted out his usual "O say can you see ." before realizing that the organ was playing a different song. He stopped and then went into "O, Canada" and followed it with "The Star-Spangled Banner" without further difficulty.

He smiled and gave the fans a wave before leaving the ice.

Angilly became a fan favorite during the Bruins' 2019 to the Stanley Cup Final by singing the anthem as a side gig as a bartender in one of the TD Garden clubs. After singing the anthem - or anthems - he returns to serve drinks.

[OccamsRazor]

Orlov and Hathaway to BOS

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 57

 

Bos 6 Seattle 5

 

DeBrusk scores late in 3rd period, Bruins edge Kraken 6-5

By SHANE LANTZ

Associated Press

 

SEATTLE (AP) Jake DeBrusk scored the tiebreaking goal with 1:38 left in the third period and the Boston Bruins edged the Seattle Kraken 6-5 on Thursday night.

The win avenged Boston's first regulation home loss of the season, which was a 3-0 defeat to Seattle back on Jan. 12, still the only time Boston has been shut out this year.

Seattle's Matty Beniers scored just 40 seconds into the game, and the teams went back and forth the rest of the way.

Jaden Schwartz put Seattle ahead 5-4 at 15:50 of the third period. Brandon Carlo tied it less than 30 seconds later.

DeBrusk scored the go-ahead goal at 18:22, with an assist from Charlie McAvoy.

The two teams combined for 74 shots on goal. Boston's Jeremy Swayman made 36 saves for the Bruins and Phillip Grubauer finished with 27 for Seattle.

Patrice Bergeron put Boston ahead 4-3 at 17:51 of the second period. Yanni Gourde tied it on the power play at 18:52.

David Krejci, David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand also scored for the Bruins.

Vince Dunn and Jamie Oleksiak scored for Seattle.

NOTES: Boston acquired defenseman Dmitry Orlov and forward Garnet Hathaway from Washington in a three-team trade Thursday for forward Craig Smith and a trio of draft picks. .

 

 

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 58

 

Bos 3 Van 1

 

Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark scores into empty net

 

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) Goaltender Linus Ullmark scored into an empty net in the final minute and the NHL-leading Boston Bruins beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-1 on Saturday might for their sixth straight victory.

Ullmark made a save and fired a high wrist shot the length of the ice to become the 13th goalie in NHL history to score a goal - and the eighth to actually shoot the puck into the net.

"It's one of the dreams I always had that I wanted to score a goal and now I had the opportunity," Ullmark said. "I tried it at the Winter Classic, didn't really make it and now everything came together."

Defenseman Hampus Lindholm and Brad Marchand had first-period goals for the Bruins, and Ullmark made 26 saves.

Brock Boeser scored for Vancouver.

"This was a Stanley Cup-winning type team, but I thought we hung in there," Canucks coach Rick Tocchet said. "We played well, I'm kind of proud of the guys, some of our top guys are a little tired."

Lindholm opened the scoring on a power play with 2:52 left in the first period. beating goalie Arturs Silovs with a one-timer from the point.

Marchand made it 2-0 with 35 seconds left in the first, darting to the middle on a break and beating Silovs to the far side for his 19th goal of the season.

Boeser scored for Vancouver at 7:24 of the third.

Silovs stopped 32 shots.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 59

 

Bos 3 EDM 2

 

Zacha helps Bruins beat Oilers 3-2 for 7th straight win

 

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) Pavel Zacha scored the tiebreaking goal late in the second period and the league-leading Boston Bruins beat the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 Monday night for their seventh straight win.

Nick Foligno and Tomas Nosek also scored for the Bruins, and Dmitry Orlov had two assists for his first points since being acquired from Washington last week. Jeremy Swayman stopped 22 shots to win his third straight start and eighth in his last 10.

The Bruins became the fastest team to record 46 wins in NHL history, needing just 59 games to do so.

"We have a lot of guys in our locker room that know how to play the right way and know how to end games," Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said after his team improved to 32-0-2 record when leading after 40 minutes.

Boston has its third winning streak of at least seven games this season.

"I think we're proud of our process and what it's allowed us to do and be, but I still think there's room to grow," Foligno said. "I still think there are little areas we can get better in. I'm not trying to sound tacky, it's just the reality of our team.

"I don't think anyone is satisfied here, I think we're really excited about our group, but I think we all know there is more to do. That's the mindset that's allowed us to have the success we've had."

Connor McDavid scored twice to reach the 50-goal mark for the first time in his career for the Oilers, who have lost two straight in regulation after a five-game point streak (2-0-3). Still, Edmonton is 11-4-6 in its last 21 games. Stuart Skinner had 25 saves.

"It's disappointing, obviously," McDavid said. "They're the best team in the league. I thought we played them hard and gave ourselves a chance to win. ... It's good for our confidence to know that we can play with them. That's the league's best and we played with them. That's a good sign."

Zacha gave the Bruins their second lead of the night with 30 seconds left in the middle period. David Pastrnak fired a shot from the left slot that hit Oilers defenseman Cody Ceci's skates and slowly trickled toward the left side of the goal. As Skinner reached to knock the puck aside, Zacha dove and swatted the puck up and in for his 14th of the season to make it 3-2.

McDavid had tied it 2-2 with 7:40 left in the second with his 50th. Klim Kostin skated down the right side and chased down a long dump in behind the goal line, came around the back of the net and sent a centering pass in front to McDavid. The Oilers' captain faked to get Swayman to go down, went to his left and put it in.

McDavid reached the 50-goal mark in his 61st game of the season. Only Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri have hit the mark faster in Oilers' history. It was also McDavid's eighth goal in the last four games.

"He just drives our team," Oilers forward Zach Hyman said. "He is the best player in the world. ... He has really taken a step in regards to attacking the net more and taking it on himself and I think you see the results."

McDavid, whose previous career high was 44 goals last season, got the Oilers on the scoreboard first, 2:17 into the game, as he skated in the left circle and beat Swayman five-hole.

Nosek tied it just 13 seconds later as he got a pass in front from Garnet Hathaway - who came over from the Capitals with Orlov last Thursday - and sent the puck into the top right corner for his fourth.

Foligno gave the Bruins a 2-1 lead with 4:54 left in the middle period as he got the return pass from Charlie Coyle on a 2-on-1 rush and beat Skinner past his blocker from the left side. It was his 10th.

Orlov had secondary assists on each of the Bruins' first two goals.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 60

 

Bos 4 Flames 3 OT

 

McAvoy scores in OT, Bruins beat Flames for 8th win a row

 

 

1:02

 

McAvoy scores OT winner with 4 seconds remaining

Charlie McAvoy gets the goal with four seconds remaining in overtime for the Bruins win.

---

ByAP

Updated: 3 hours ago

 

CALGARY, Alberta -- — Charlie McAvoy scored at 4:55 of overtime to give the Boston a 4-3 victory over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night, extending the NHL-leading Bruins' winning streak to eight games.

 

Linus Ullmark made a career-high 54 saves.

 

“What a game by him,” McAvoy said. “The shots were obviously a lot to a little there and he kept us in the game all night.”

 

Ullmark is the league leader in wins, goals-against average and save percentage. He is 31-4-1 this season.

 

In overtime, McAvoy deflected in Patrice Bergeron’s pass just as the game appeared to be headed to a shootout.

 

“It was such a heads-up play to pass that puck to me,” McAvoy said. “In a situation like that sometimes you’re thinking about the clock but he was able to make the extra pass there.”

 

Dmitry Orlov had two goals and an assist, and Pavel Zacha also scored. The Bruins (47-8-5) have a 13-point lead over Carolina in the overall standings.

 

Blake Coleman, Dillon Dube and Jonathan Huberdeau scored for Calgary. Dan Vladar, who allowed two goals on five shots in the first period, was lifted in favor of Jacob Markstrom at the start of the second period. Markstrom made 13 saves.

 

The Flames are five points behind Winnipeg and Edmonton, who are tied for the two wild-card spots in the Western Conference

 

“At this point in the year, we’re scrambling for our lives. We’re still fighting. We’re going to fight until the end,” Flames defenseman Nikita Zadorov said. “It’s a grown men’s league, you can’t feel sorry for yourself. You just got to go out there and play hockey and compete and put all your effort into it.”

 

The Flames overcame a 2-0 first-period deficit and led 3-2 in the third period. Zacha tied it on a power play with 5:53 left in regulation.

 

WESTERN DOMINATION

 

The Bruins improved to 21-2-2 against the Western Conference. Included is an 11-1-2 mark against the Pacific Division.

 

MILESTONE NIGHT

 

Flames center Nazem Kadri played in his 800th career game, while Coleman scored his 100th career goal.

[OccamsRazor]

 

8 years and $90M for David Pastrnak in Boston ($11.25 M AAV)

[J0e Th0rnton]

10 minutes ago, OccamsRazor said:

 

8 years and $90M for David Pastrnak in Boston ($11.25 M AAV)

Worth every single penny. Consistent superstar goalscorer and the best player on the best team

[Brewin Flames]

6 hours ago, J0e Th0rnton said:

Worth every single penny. Consistent superstar goalscorer and the best player on the best team

 

 

Except for the fact that he is a turnover machine, and often his careless giveaways lead to unnecessary scoring chances for the other team.

 

But, for a guy that is going to pot 40-50 goals per season, i'll overlook it.

Edited March 2, 2023 by Brewin Flames

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 61

 

Bos 7 Sabres 1

 

Bruins rout Sabres 7-1, become fastest team to 100 points

 

 

2:08

 

Bruins become fastest team in NHL history to reach 100 points

The Bruins take down the Sabres 7-1 to become the fastest team in NHL history to reach 100 points.

---

ByAP

Updated: 6 hours ago

 

BOSTON -- — David Pastrnak had a goal and two assists just a few hours after signing a new contract and the surging Boston Bruins became the fastest team in NHL history to reach 100 points by beating the Buffalo Sabres 7-1 on Thursday night.

 

Jakub Lauko scored twice, Dmitry Orlov added a goal and two assists and Jeremy Swayman stopped 26 shots as the Bruins overcame the loss of Brad Marchand to a lower body injury to win their ninth straight.

 

Boston improved to 48-8-5 in its 61st game, besting the Montreal team from 1976-77 that reached 100 points in 62 games when there were regulation ties and no extra points for overtime or shootout victories. The Bruins have seven points for overtime and shootout victories in their 101 points.

 

Pavel Zacha, Patrice Bergeron and Connor Clifton added goals for Boston.

 

“It's been really amazing to watch them want to be great,” coach Jim Montgomery said.

 

Casey Mittelstadt scored for Buffalo and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 35 shots But his unusual tripping penalty led to Orlov's power-play goal and turned the game as the Sabres dropped their second straight.

 

The victory capped an eventful day for the Bruins. They acquired Tyler Bertuzzi from Detroit and inked Pastrnak to an eight-year, $90 million extension.

 

“Probably took a little longer than we hoped for, but we finally got across the finish line," Boston president Cam Neely said. “We're thrilled to have him for another eight years.”

 

Pastrnak drew the odd penalty against Luukkonen in the second period and then assisted on the ensuing goal. He scored his 43rd goal into an empty net in Boston's five-goal third period that also saw him earn his 40th assist.

 

Bertuzzi, called a good “sandpaper” guy by Montgomery, will help fill the roles of fellow wingers Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno. Hall was placed on long-term injured reserve and Foligno regular IR.

 

Last week, GM Don Sweeney picked up Orlov and Garnet Hathaway in a deal with Washington. Orlov has three goals and five assists in four games since the trade.

 

A lengthy absence by Marchand would hurt Boston, however. He took a big hit in the second period and didn't return for the third.

 

“We think he's going to be all right,” Montgomery said.

 

The Sabres, who lost top-line forward Alex Tuch (lower body) last week, again played without banged-up top defenseman Rasmus Dahlin. He was was placed on injured reserve, retroactive to Friday, opening a roster spot for defenseman Riley Stillman, acquired Monday from Vancouver.

 

Stillman made an immediate impression, recording five hits in a scoreless first period.

 

And it remained deadlocked until Luukkonen was called for tripping as Pastrnak tried to beat him while skating in alone.

 

“It was an unfortunate call,” coach Dan Granato said. “Obviously, the referees thought it was a trip. Luukky came out and played the puck, but that's what happens. You're going to have challenges like that, but obviously it was a momentum swing.”

 

Orlov scored on a one-timer on the ensuing 4-on-3 and Lauko knocked in a fat rebound 1:26 later to make it 2-0.

 

Buffalo, in a scramble for one of the last playoff spots in the Eastern Conference, couldn't recover.

 

 

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 62

 

Bos 4 NYR 2

 

Bertuzzi sets up goal in Bruins' 4-2 win over Rangers

By KEN POWTAK

Associated Press

 

BOSTON (AP) Tyler Bertuzzi set up a goal in his Boston debut and Linus Ullmark made 24 saves, helping the NHL-leading Bruins beat Patrick Kane and the New York Rangers 4-2 on Saturday.

Charlie Coyle scored off Bertuzzi's feed and set up Tomas Nosek's short-handed goal in Boston's 10th straight win. The Bruins improved 26-2-3 at home and increased their total for the season to 103 points.

"For us, it's the Stanley Cup. That's all that matters," Ullmark said of the Bruins' shot at an NHL record for total points. "Records are meant to be broken, but once you have the hardware it can never be taken away from you."

Boston stars David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron each scored in the third period. It was Pastrnak's 44th on the season, and No. 23 for Bergeron.

Playing his first game since posting a club-record 54 saves in an overtime win at Calgary on Tuesday, Ullmark increased his record to 32-4-1.

Alexis Lafreniere scored both goals for New York, and Igor Shesterkin stopped 20 shots. The Rangers have lost six of eight.

"They've got a great squad and they acquired some great players," New York defenseman Braden Schneider said. "They're at the top of the league right now and that's where we want to be. I think we can skate with them and we can play with them and I think we gave them a good run tonight. I'm excited for us to get clicking. ... I think we can give them a good run for the money."

Kane, acquired in a trade with Chicago on Tuesday, is scoreless in two games with the Rangers.

Boston forward Brad Marchand returned to the lineup after missing the last half of Thursday's victory with a lower-body injury.

After becoming the fastest team in NHL history to reach 100 points in their last game, the Bruins completed a three-game season sweep of the Rangers.

Acquired in a trade with Detroit on Thursday, Bertuzzi collected the puck behind the net and sent it out to Coyle, who one-timed it past Shesterkin to make it 1-0 at 18:07 of the opening period. The new Bruins forward raised his stick and pointed at Coyle after collecting his first point with the club.

"It was good to kind of get my feet wet and hear the crowd, celebrate with the guys and be in the mix a little bit," said Bertuzzi, who admitted he was nervous before the game.

Coyle centered a pass to a cutting Nosek, who shifted quickly at the edge of the crease before tucking the puck into the net just past Shesterkin's left skate 30 seconds into the second.

"We just find a way with this group," Coyle said. "There's no sense of panic. ... If things aren't working, we play a simple style and play the right way and usually that works out for us."

The lively matchup - with fans breaking out in chants for each team - featured two teams that bolstered their rosters for the postseason before Friday's trade deadline.

New York picked up three-time Stanley Cup champion Kane from Chicago and four-time All-Star Vladimir Tarasenko from St. Louis, while Boston also got defenseman Dmitry Orlov and forward Garnet Hathaway from Washington before reeling in Bertuzzi, who scored 30 goals last season.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 63

 

Bos 2 EDM 3

 

Oilers escape McDavid scare, win 3-2 to snap Bruins' streak

 

 

0:41

 

Darnell Nurse gives Oilers their first lead of the night

Darnell Nurse scores for Edmonton to give his team their first lead of the night.

---

ByAP

Updated: 7 hours ago

 

BOSTON -- — The Boston Bruins shut down NHL scoring leader Connor McDavid. They kept Leon Draisaitl off the scoresheet, too. It still wasn’t enough to beat the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night.

 

The Oilers escaped a scare when McDavid limped off the ice late in their 3-2 win over the Bruins — minutes after Darnell Nurse scored the tiebreaking goal with 4:49 remaining.

 

McDavid returned, but was held without a point for just the seventh time all season. It was the first time since New Year’s Eve, when McDavid was scoreless and Draisaitl didn’t play, that neither registered a point.

 

“I can’t believe they didn’t get a point. I mean, they should get a point every night, right?” said goalie Stuart Skinner, who made 26 saves to snap Boston's 10-game winning streak and deprive the Bruins of a chance to become the first team in the league to clinch a playoff berth this season.

 

“Our top dogs here, I think they did a unbelievable job defensively," Skinner said. "They’ve been doing such a good job in our end lately and, obviously they’re still a massive threat offensively.”

 

McDavid struggled to the bench after a knee-on-knee collision with teammate Derek Ryan. But the two-time league MVP returned to help the Oilers hold on when Boston pulled goalie Jeremy Swayman for an extra skater in the final minutes.

 

Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft said he didn't see the collision, but was glad McDavid was able to return.

 

“My mind was on the play,” he said. “But he felt good enough to finish the game, so I felt good about that.”

 

Boston led 2-0 after one, but Evan Bouchard scored in the second and Ryan McLeod tied it six minutes into the third. Nurse scored the game-winner on a wrist shot past a screened Swayman to give the Oilers their fourth win in five tries.

 

"I just said to myself, ‘I’ve got to lock it down for the next 40 (minutes). And if I do that, it will at least give the guys a chance to win,’” Skinner said. “If I’m going to be honest, I was very excited after the game. ... This one, this one feels really good.”

 

Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak scored, and Swayman stopped 19 shots for the Bruins (49-9-5), who could have set an NHL record as the fastest-ever to 50 wins.

 

McDavid leads the NHL with 54 goals — nine more than Pastrnak, who is second — as well as 70 assists and 124 points. Draisaitl is fifth in the league with 41 goals and second with 96 points.

 

It was the first time all season the Oilers won a game without either of them recording a point.

 

“It felt like a playoff game,” Woodcroft said. “In playoff games sometimes there’s a ‘saw-off’ between the best players on both teams and other people have to find ways to to contribute. If you look up and down our roster, we have numerous people that can find the back of the net and that’s what you need as you come down the stretch here."

 

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 64

 

Bos 3 Wings 2

 

Bruins fastest ever to 50 wins, clinch playoff berth

 

 

0:44

 

Hathaway's 1st goal as a Bruin puts them in front

Garnet Hathaway scores his first goal as a member of the Bruins to put them ahead 3-2 vs. the Red Wings.

---

ByAP

Updated: 5 hours ago

 

BOSTON -- — The Boston Bruins' T-shirt factory is struggling to keep up with all the milestones the team is cruising past on its way to the Presidents' Trophy.

 

“Fifty wins, it's amazing,” said forward A.J. Greer, who was wearing a shirt commemorating Patrice Bergeron's 1,000th NHL point while discussing Boston's 50th win of the season, a 3-2 victory over Detroit on Saturday.

 

The Bruins became the first team to clinch a playoff berth this season, earning their spot when the Capitals beat the Islanders 5-1 on Saturday night. Boston's win also made it the fastest team to 50 wins in NHL history.

 

“I love playing for this team,” Greer said after assisting on Garnet Hathaway's game-winner with six minutes left. “I love wearing the Bruins logo and especially with the results, it’s been an amazing journey so far. But we’re not really focused on anything right now besides playing the right way for 60 minutes every night.”

 

Hathaway gathered in a rebound and poked it in to break a third-period tie as Boston rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat Detroit and improve to 50-9-5 on the season. The 50 wins in 64 games broke the record of 66 set by the 1995-96 Red Wings and matched by the 2018-19 Lightning.

 

“Congrats to us then, I guess,” said goalie Linus Ullmark, who stopped 30 shots. “But we focus on the process, and our process is what’s important.”

 

The Bruins were already the fastest NHL team ever to earn 100 points.

 

“Fifty wins is great. And it’s kind of a testament to how hard this team has continued to work throughout the year,” Hathaway said before the team headed to Detroit for a rematch with the Red Wings on Sunday. “But I think guys want 51, you know? Guys are excited to play this team tomorrow already.”

 

After blowing a two-goal lead and losing 3-2 to Edmonton on Thursday night, snapping a 10-game winning streak, the Bruins fell behind 2-0 on Saturday before the game was 5 minutes old. But Hampus Lindholm and Bergeron scored 88 seconds apart in the second period, when Boston had the first 12 shots on goal and an 18-2 edge in shots in all.

 

Hathaway broke the tie in the third scored to avert what would have been the Bruins' first back-to-back losses at home this season.

 

“We never want to lose two in a row. We showed that today,” Ullmark said. "We came out a little slow. They came out hot as well. Give them credit, they really came here to play in that first period and we were just weren’t ready for it.

 

“But we took a breather in between the first and second, and we told each other we've got to ramp it up a little bit. And then we absolutely dominated them in the second.”

 

Magnus Hellberg made 35 saves for Detroit, which snapped a six-game losing streak by beating Chicago on Thursday. Andrew Copp scored a short-handed goal in the second minute of the first period, and Alex Chiasson also scored to give the Red Wings a 2-0 lead just 4:32 in.

 

Lindholm scored with seven minutes gone in the second, and the Red Wings appeared to respond quickly. But Dylan Larkin's goal was taken off the board because he had smacked the stick out of David Krejci’s hands seconds earlier.

 

Instead, Bergeron tied it on the power play, deflecting a pass from Jake DeBrusk through Hellberg's legs. It stayed that way until Hathaway tallied his 10th of the season and his first since arriving in Boston before the trade deadline from the Washington Capitals.

 

 

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 65

 

Bos 3 Wings 4

 

Red Wings beat Bruins 5-3, a day after losing to NHL's best

 

 

0:57

 

Dylan Larkin notches goal on the power play

Dylan Larkin notches goal on the power play

---

ByAP

Updated: 13 hours ago

 

DETROIT -- — Dylan Larkin scored to help his team take a four-goal lead, and his second assist of the game allowed the Detroit Red Wings to hold on for a 5-3 win over Boston Bruins on Sunday.

 

The Red Wings were ahead 4-0 late in the second period, but the NHL-best Bruins pulled within a goal midway through the third.

 

Boston pulled backup goaltender Jeremy Swayman with 2:23 left to add an extra skater. Detroit's Andrew Copp, with an assist from Larkin, put the puck into the empty net with 23.1 seconds left to seal the win.

 

“Great effort, just a little too late,” said Matt Grzelcyk, who ended the Bruins' scoreless start with a goal nearly 37 minutes into the game. “We kind of put ourselves behind the eight-ball, but really proud of the guys for not giving up.”

 

Detroit's Alex Chiasson broke a scoreless tie midway through the first period on a power play. Moritz Seider had a short-handed goal and Larkin scored with an extra skater midway through the second period, putting the Red Wings ahead 3-0.

 

Adam Erne gave Detroit its four-goal lead late in the second. Ville Husso finished with 31 saves for the Red Wings.

 

“We got a little loose, but once they got it to 4-3, we just dug in and got the job done” Larkin said. “I think that starts with Huss making some big saves and we stayed out of the box."

 

A day after losing at Boston 3-2, Detroit won for just the second time in nine games.

 

Swayman stopped 21 shots for the Bruins, who had won 11 of their last 12.

 

Grzelcyk scored with 3:08 left in the second period, and the Bruins pulled within two goals early in the third when Jake DeBrusk's wrist shot beat Husso on a breakaway.

 

Larkin had a chance to restore a three-goal lead on a breakaway, putting the puck between Swayman's pads only to see it bounce off the left post. Soon after, David Pastrnak scored to cut the deficit to a goal.

 

Boston beat Detroit on Saturday to take over the record for fewest number of games to reach 50 wins. The Bruins reached the milestone in their 64th game, beating the previous mark by two games set by the 1995-96 Red Wings and 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning.

 

“I thought our six periods as a whole were great,” Red Wings coach Derek Lalonde said. “Obviously, that’s a very good team. They have a chance to be remembered as one of the best teams in league history, and we never backed down over these six periods.”

 

FAMILIAR FACE

 

Boston winger Tyler Bertuzzi faced his former team for the first time at Little Caesars Arena, and was warmly welcomed when his return was recognized on the videoboards. Bertuzzi, drafted by Detroit a decade ago and traded earlier this month, responded by tapping his stick on the ice and waving to the fans.

 

“I knew they’re going to do something,” he said. “Very grateful for my time here as a Red Wing. It was a it was a nice tribute.”

 

ONE-TIMERS

 

Boston scratched D Hampus Lindhom with a swollen foot, but expects him to miss only one game. ... Chiasson signed a contract with the Red Wings to bolster their depth up front after trading Bertuzzi, Jakub Vrana, Oskar Sundqvist and the 32-year-old winger scored his second goal in five games. ... The Bruins assigned Jakub Lauko to the AHL’s Providence Bruins after the 22-year-old forward had three goals and five points in 12 games.

 

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 66

 

Bos 3 Hawks 6

 

Red-hot Raddysh nets hat trick, Blackhawks top Bruins 6-3

 

 

1:19

 

Taylor Raddysh gets all of his hat trick goals in the 3rd period

Taylor Raddysh scores all three of his goals in the third period as the Blackhawks defeat the Bruins 6-3.

---

ByAP

Updated: 4 hours ago

 

CHICAGO -- — Taylor Raddysh scored three goals and the Chicago Blackhawks beat Boston 6-3 on Tuesday night, handing the NHL-leading Bruins a second straight regulation loss for the first time this season.

 

Raddysh's first career hat trick gave him 20 goals for the season and six in his last four games. Chicago ended a three-game slide (0-2-1).

 

“The puck is just kind of finding its way in,” Raddysh said. “I gotta just keep going to the net and get to those areas where the puck is going to be.”

 

Boris Katchouk scored a tiebreaking goal at 6:59 of the third period and added two assists for his first three-point game.

 

Joey Anderson had a goal and an assist, and MacKenzie Entwistle also scored for Chicago, which entered tied for last place in the Western Conference.

 

Never mind that Boston came in with a whopping 55 more points than the Blackhawks.

 

“I don't think it's surprising,” Anderson said. "Obviously, they have a great team and we knew we had to play a full 60 minutes tonight and that's exactly what it took."

 

Hampus Lindholm had a goal and an assist after missing the Bruins' game at Detroit on Sunday with a swollen foot. Trent Frederic and Pavel Zacha also scored for Boston.

 

Bruins top scorer David Pastrnak missed on a penalty shot with 1:24 left.

 

The Bruins entered with a league-best 105 points. They became the fastest team in NHL history to reach 50 wins in a season by beating the Red Wings 3-2 in Boston on Saturday. But the Bruins lost 5-3 at Detroit on Sunday and are 1-3-0 in their last four on the heels of a 10-game winning streak that propelled them to a big lead in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference.

 

Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron acknowledged his team is sputtering.

 

“I think right now we’re disconnected," Bergeron said. "We’re not playing the right way; we’re cheating.

 

“I think this league is going to humble you. I think that’s what we’re getting right now. It’s not good enough."

 

Blackhawks goalie Petr Mrazek re-aggravated a groin injury that has bothered him the past two seasons and was replaced by Alex Stalock at 8:48 of the second period.

 

Mrazek, who stopped all 16 shots he faced, skated to the dressing room abruptly after dropping to the ice to make a couple of close-in saves on Frederic to keep Chicago ahead 1-0. About a minute earlier, Dmitry Orlov’s slap shot struck Mrazek in the mask.

 

Stalock stopped 23 of 26 shots in relief.

 

Linus Ullmark made 23 saves for Boston.

 

The Bruins got off to a second straight slow start in this one, the second of a five-game trip.

 

“I think we've just got to get back to our standards," coach Jim Montgomery said. "And our standards are that we’re going to start games well. We might bend at times, but we don’t break. And we’ve been breaking.”

 

Entwistle scored the only goal in the first period at 14:27 when he cut to the net and slid the puck under Ullmark’s right pad.

 

Lindholm tied it with 5:02 left in the second on the third shot Stalock faced, connecting on a screened high drive from inside the blue line.

 

Anderson put Chicago back in front 1:34 later, popping in a loose puck from the right side of the net.

 

Frederic tied it at 2 with 11.1 seconds left in the second. Stalock stopped Frederic’s point-blank tip attempt, but then accidentally knocked the puck in off his pad.

 

Zacha was credited with putting Boston ahead at 3:02 of the third when his pass ticked in off the skate of Chicago defenseman Jarred Tinordi. Raddysh tied it 53 seconds later, poking in the puck off a scrum on the doorstep.

 

Katchouk beat Ullmark on a 25-foot shot off right wing to snap a 3-all deadlock at 6:59. Tyler Bertuzzi’s shot with 8:46 left clanked off the crossbar. It was ruled a tying goal on the ice, but overturned by a video review.

 

Raddysh made it 5-3 with a power-play goal with 3:52 left. He completed his hat trick by firing into an empty net with 45 seconds left.

 

 

 

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 67

 

Bos 3 Jets 0

 

Swayman makes 36 saves NHL-leading Bruins beat Jets 3-0

 

 

0:34

 

Pavel Zacha nets goal vs. Jets

Pavel Zacha nets goal vs. Jets

---

ByAP

Updated: 3 hours ago

 

WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- — Jeremy Swayman made 36 saves for his third shutout of the season and eighth overall in the NHL-leading Boston Bruins' 3-0 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night.

 

Trent Frederic, Pavel Zacha and Tomas Nosek scored to help Boston rebound from its first consecutive regulation losses of the season. The Bruins are 51-11-5.

 

“I thought we were a little too loose defensively in the first 40 minutes and I think (Swayman) had to be terrific, and he was terrific,” Boston coach Jim Montgomery said. “That might have been his best game of the year and he’s had a lot of good ones, just for his tracking, his control.

 

“He didn’t let any rebounds out. We gave up some significant opportunities that we usually don’t like to.”

 

Frederic opened the scoring at 50 seconds of the first period with his 15th goal of the season. Zacha added his 18th with 6:38 left in the first. Nosek scored into an empty net with six seconds left for his sixth of the season.

 

Boston killed five Winnipeg power plays.

 

“It’s just our four outworking their five, making sure I saw pucks and clearing out rebounds,” Swayman said. “They did a great job at that.”

 

Connor Hellebuyck stopped 21 shots for the Winnipeg. The Jets (38-28-3) are 2-2-0 in their last four games and 4-9-2 in their last 15.

 

“It’s really disappointing. We need these points,” Jets forward Adam Lowry said. “They’re so critical right now and we’re almost scoreboard watching every night right now. So, it would have been nice to see a few of those go in.

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 68

 

Bos 5 Wild 2

 

Pastrnak, Ullmark lead Bruins past Wild 5-2

 

---

ByAP

Updated: 11 hours ago

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- — David Pastrnak scored his 47th goal of the season and Linus Ullmark made 29 saves as the Boston Bruins beat the Minnesota Wild 5-2 on Saturday.

Jake DeBrusk, David Krejci, Patrice Bergeron and Trent Frederic also scored for Boston, which has won two in a row as it seeks to surpass the record 62 wins and 132 points in a season.

 

Pastrnak has six goals and seven assists in his past eight games and is second in the league in goals behind Connor McDavid, who started the day with 57.

 

“I thought we went after them as good as we’ve gone for a 60-minute game,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. “It was good to try and have a mentality where we have an opportunity to end someone’s streak. Instead of being the hunted, we were hunting.”

 

Minnesota, which started the day one point behind Dallas for first and two points ahead of Colorado in the Central Division, hadn’t lost in regulation since Feb. 15 against the Avalanche. The Wild were 11-0-3 in a franchise-record, 14-game point streak.

 

Marcus Johansson and Oskar Sundqvist, both acquired by Minnesota at the trade deadline, scored goals. Filip Gustavsson stopped 34 shots in goal for the Wild.

 

“Obviously, they’ve been the best team in the league the whole year and we proved we can play with them,” Johansson said. “A tough few breaks. That’s the way it goes. We played a good game and we’ve got to learn from it and move on."

 

Johansson, who was acquired from Washington for a third-round draft pick, opened the scoring against the East leaders midway through the first.

 

Minnesota appeared to take a 2-0 lead, but a goal by Matt Dumba was waived off after a review for offsides.

 

The Wild had two apparent scores taken away by offsides reviews in the game. Connor Dewar was clearly offside on the Dumba goal and Matt Boldy was declared offside after he passed the puck entering the zone and appeared to cross the line before the puck.

 

“They’re both off-sides, so there’s nothing to complain about,” Minnesota coach Dean Evason said. “Couple of bad breaks, obviously a third goes off our stick and goes into the net. Those are three goals right there, we’re in this hockey game."

 

DeBrusk then tied the game before the first intermission with his 21st goal of the season. Pastrnak and Krejci scored in the second period. It was Krejci’s first goal in 11 games.

 

The Bruins (52-11-5) had lost three of four before winning the past two games. They’re looking to surpass the NHL-record 62 wins by the 1995-96 Red Wings and 2018-19 Lightning. They also have a chance to surpass the record 132 points amassed by the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens.

 

“Usually when we play tough teams and teams who’ve been doing well, we get to our game right away because we know we have to,” Boston forward Charlie Coyle said of stopping the Wild’s point streak. “So, usually our start is on. Whether we score the first goal or not, we just stay at it. We do the right things. We play simple and you see when we do that, we kind of take over.”

 

Sundqvist scored for the second-straight game in the third on the power play. He has two goals in six games for Minnesota since being acquired for a fourth-round draft pick.

Boston entered the game with the best penalty kill in the league, killing 85.7% of their shorthanded situations.

 

Bergeron answered with his 25th goal of the season and Frederic tallied an empty-net goal.

 

QUITE A PAIR

 

 

Bergeron and Brad Marchand assisted on DeBrusk’s goal in the second, the 407th time in their careers they’ve combined on a goal. It set a new franchise record, surpassing the total of Phil Esposito and Ken Hodge. Marchand had three assists in the game.

 

“I thought Bergeron’s line set the tone for us,” Montgomery said. “A couple of great forechecking goals. I thought everybody was involved. … That unselfishness that we’ve seen throughout the year was very evident tonight.”

[Brewin Flames]

Game # 69

 

Bos 7 Buff 0

 

Swayman stops 26 shots in Bruins' 7-0 rout of Sabres

 

 

0:39

 

Charlie Coyle scores goal vs. Sabres

Charlie Coyle scores goal vs. Sabres

---

ByAP

Updated: 13 minutes ago

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- — Goalie Jeremy Swayman and the league-leading Boston Bruins had unfinished business to address before entertaining thoughts of finally going home following a week on the road.

 

In a five-game trip that began with losses in Detroit and Chicago to mark Boston’s first two-game skid of the season, the Bruins closed with three straight wins, capped by a 7-0 rout of the reeling Buffalo Sabres on Sunday.

 

Captain Patrice Bergeron set the tone by scoring 15 seconds into the game. The Bruins scored three times on their first seven shots. 

 

David Pastrnak matched a career-high by scoring his team-leading 48th goal. And Swayman made 26 saves to post his second straight shutout, which he celebrated by taking a bite out of a chicken wing offered to him by fellow goalie Linus Ullmark.

 

“Love that guy,” Swayman said of Ullmark, before addressing how important it was for the Bruins to regain their groove.

 

“I think the biggest thing is just staying in the moment, learning from our mistakes and taking the positives from games that we don’t like,” Swayman said. “So the last couple of games have been a really big positive for our team.”

 

Swayman, who was coming off a 36-save outing in a 3-0 win at Winnipeg on Thursday, blanked the NHL’s third-best offense. He now has four shutouts on the season, all coming in the span of 13 starts dating to a 6-0 win over Philadelphia on Jan. 16.

 

Jake DeBrusk had a goal and three assists while Garnet Hathaway and Hampus Lindholm also scored.

 

Boston continued its domination over its Atlantic Division rival by improving to 19-1-1 in its past 21 meetings, and 9-0-1 in the past 10 since a 6-4 loss at Buffalo on April 23, 2021. The Bruins have now outscored the Sabres by a combined 14-1 in their past two outings following a 7-1 win at Boston on March 2.

 

The Sabres dropped to 2-7-2 in their past 11 as part of a swoon that began immediately after they won five of six to move into eighth-place in the Eastern Conference standings. Buffalo squandered yet another opportunity to gain ground after opening the day sitting 11th, and six points behind the eighth-place Pittsburgh Penguins.

 

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 19 shots in dropping to 0-3-2 in his past five, a stretch in which he’s allowed 21 goals.

 

The difference in how the playoff-tested Bruins played compared to the Sabres — in the midst of an NHL-worst 11-season playoff drought — was apparent to Buffalo coach Don Granato.

 

“They make their breaks and they’re ready for their breaks and they get them early in the game,” Granato said. “So you fall behind, you start chasing the game against a team that’s feeling their swagger like they are, and it’s a little more challenging.”

 

Boston bookended a three-goal first period with a three-goal third in which Charlie Coyle and defenseman Charlie McAvoy closed the scoring.

 

The Bruins won their 26th road game to match a franchise record set in 1971-72. Boston’s 53 wins through 69 games match the team’s fourth-highest total, and are four short of the franchise record set during a 78-game season in 1970-71.

 

“This was a big game. And to head back home after a long trip and to play like that and get the result is huge for us,” McAvoy said. “When we play the right way, our skill can take over once our work ethic and compete go first.”

 

SCRATCHED

 

Bruins C David Krejci was scratched due to what coach Jim Montgomery referred to as “soreness,” while D Dmitry Orlov was given the day off with Boston playing on consecutive days.

 

 

 

[Brewin Flames]