David Pastrnak, Bruins pour it on in Montreal

MONTREAL — The Bruins blew a four-goal lead two weeks ago.

So on Tuesday in Montreal, they went ahead by six.

In one of their most dominant performances all season, and guided by a heaping helping of David Pastrnak goals with his sixth career hat trick, the Bruins thrashed the Canadiens 8-1 to open their three-games-in-four-nights stretch.

Sans Patrice Bergeron and starting Jaroslav Halak in net, the Bruins still practically ran the plummeting Habs out of their building with contributions throughout the lineup. Sean Kuraly had three assists, Brad Marchand and Charlie Coyle each had three points, and half the lineup overall contributed at least one point.

The Bruins finished with just 24 shots and Carey Price stopped just six off 11 before he was pulled in the second period.

Claude Julien’s Canadiens have struggled on the penalty kill all season, and the Bruins burnt them on special teams in the opening frame.

Kuraly slid the puck to Jake DeBrusk in the slot with the power play clock waning, and DeBrusk fired in his fifth goal of the year with 8:03 gone in the frame to put the Bruins ahead 1-0.

Montreal tied it just over three minutes later on a Shea Weber rebound at the doorstep.

Nate Thompson was called for a questionable trip later on in the period to set up the Bruins next power play goal; Pastrnak ripped his 21st of the year in from his usual locale in the circle to go ahead 2-1.

With just 37 ticks left in the first, Marchand took all the wind out of the Habs’ sails with a nifty backhander for a 3-1 lead, and the 400th point of his NHL career; it was also his 40th point, and he became just the third Bruin to reach that milestone in 24 games or fewer in the last 45 years.

It turned out, that was just the start.

Pastrnak needed just eight seconds into the middle frame to put the Bruins ahead by three. He took a tap pass from Marchand in the neutral zone and skated it across the blue line and fired in his second tally.

Just over a minute later, and the Bruins were piling on as Anders Bjork snagged a pass from Kuraly — his second assist of the night — on a breakaway and put in his fourth goal of the year, chasing Price from the game.

Keith Kinkaid didn’t fare too much better, allowing Pastrnak’s hat trick goal with 9:06 gone left in the second. The 23-year-old winger netted his 23rd goal on a tip-in from a Brandon Carlo shot.

Coyle notched the extra point on the Bruins seven-spot with 11:33 left in the third, lifting in his fifth goal of the season on a pass from Torey Krug.

Moments after a puck got through Halak but rolled just outside the goal line. Danton Heinen buried a goal with 2:02 left on a pass from Jack Studnicka, his first NHL point.

The performance overall looked much like the stretch the Bruins went on a month ago when they dominated four straight games, including their best game of the season against the Rangers; Tuesday night in Montreal was close to, if it didn’t surpass, that game.

The Bruins face the Senators on Wednesday night in the second game of a back-to-back before facing the Rangers at home on Friday afternoon.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/37GI9pX