“I just think we keep playing the right way and we’re getting rewarded for it…Colorado’s very depleted [by injuries]but still, it’s a championship team and they know how to win,” said coach Jim Montgomery. “I thought in the first period, there’s a couple things they did that put us on our heels and Linus [Ullmark] was great in the first period.
“We got a couple of goals, and then I thought in the second period we really got to our game and were able to negate some of their speed.”
Here’s some more news and notes from the B’s win over Colorado at TD Garden:
Pastrnak Pots Two
Pastrnak got the Bruins going with his 58th career game-opening goal, which surpassed Rick Middleton for sole possession of sixth place on the Bruins’ all-time list and is the most in the NHL since his debut in 2014-15, per NHL Stats.
The winger blasted home a one-timer from his left-wing circle after Brad Marchand threaded a pass through the slot on the power play. The tally put Boston ahead, 1-0, with 6:11 remaining in the opening frame.
Pastrnak secured his 46th career multi-goal game in the second period when he collected a pinpoint David Krejci fed in the neutral zone and finished off a breakaway with a nasty top-shelf wrister over the shoulder of Colorado goalie Pavel Francouz to put the B’s ahead, 3-0, at 4:48 of the middle frame.
“It’s obviously fun to be part of something special, and it’s amazing to see the group come together every day to work and be happy to be ready to work for each other. It’s a lot of fun right now,” said Pastrnak, whose two -goal night gave him 538 career points to surpass Bill Cowley for sole possession of 15th place on the Bruins’ all-time scoring list.
“[We] work for each other. We obviously started the season without some key players to the team, and some other guys had to step up – and they did. And sometimes that builds up the confidence in individuals and, obviously, that translates to the team. I think the guys who came back from injuries have played unbelievable, and when they weren’t here, a bunch of guys stepped up.
“That’s how the team grows together, and I think we are very tight which is very rare this early in the season. It’s obviously something special and amazing to be a part of.”
Video: Pastrnak scores two in B’s 5-1 W over COL
Freddy Does, Too
While Pastrnak notched his 46th Career two-goal outing, Frederic picked up the first such showing of his young career. The 24-year-old doubled Boston’s lead with 1:09 to go in the first period when he tapped one past Francouz from the doorstep after taking a feed from Charlie McAvoy (two assists), who delivered the nifty backhand dish following a give-and-go Pavel Zacha.
“It started with [Charlie Coyle],” said Frederic. “He kept the puck in [at the blue line], made a great play. I don’t know if he was credited on the stat sheet, but he started it, made a good play. Back to Charlie [McAvoy] and then I was lucky enough to bang it in.”
Frederic got his second with 4:28 remaining in the game when he one-timed a beautiful Taylor Hall pass by Francouz off a 2-on-1 to put the Bruins ahead, 4-1.
“We’re having fun,” said Frederic. “When you’re winning, goals are coming from everyone…the guys I play with have helped me a lot. Hallsy and CC have been great putting confidence in me. And then also Monty has been great about it. So, I kind of give credit to them. It’s been fun.”
Montgomery praised the former first-round pick for his growth since training camp, adding that the Bruins have “been seeing [his progression] coming for a while.” Frederic is now up to five goals and nine points in 20 games this season after notching 18 points (8 goals, 10 assists) in 60 games last season.
“From where he started the year in training camp…he just keeps getting better and I think you’re seeing the aggressive mindset offensively now,” said Montgomery. “He’s taking pucks to hard areas and if he doesn’t have a play, he’s hanging on to it. We’re starting to see that a lot in practice.
“Actually, it’s funny to say that because Charlie [Coyle]him and I were having lunch [Friday] and we were talking about how much his confidence has grown and it popped today offensively. It was his first two-goal game.
“When he moves his feet, he’s a force to be reckoned with and as far as defensemen to handle a load like that.”
Video: Frederic speaks with media after scoring two
DeBrusk Hits 100
Jake DeBrusk broke a four-game goal drought with a milestone marker late in the third. Just 10 seconds after Frederic’s second of the night (the team record for fastest back-to-back goals is eight seconds), the winger buried a rebound of Derek Forbort‘s point shot for his 100th career goal.
“It felt like a curse for a second there,” DeBrusk said of going two weeks without a goal. “A first milestone, but at the same time, here’s to 100 more. There’s a lot of cool things that happened this year, obviously, with different guys already. It was nice to score a goal. I felt like I hadn’t been beaten a goalie in a while, so it was a great play to get in the zone. Really happy to contribute. I think every line did tonight, a little sweetener.”
DeBrusk nearly had his 100th in the second period when he tapped a loose puck just over the goal line as he was knocked into the net during a scrum in the Colorado crease. But after video review, it was determined that DeBrusk knocked the net off its moorings before the puck completely crossed over the line.
“I had a pretty good look at it,” said DeBrusk. “In my defense, I didn’t know what else I could do there…I was in the crease and I got pushed into the net. I don’t know if I was over the line or what, but I didn’t know what I was supposed to do.
“I knew it was going to be close, I knew it was around my skate area and the net came off. It’s one of those things, rules are the rules. I always have a couple of these things disallowed so it’s good to get them out of the way.”
Video: DeBrusk nets his 100th career goal in B’s 5-1 W
Marchand Brings It
Despite logging just one assist, Marchand was a force for the Bruins all night long, as he also delivered three hits and drew two penalties in 17:59 of ice time. Marchand drew both calls in the first period – within a three-plus minute span – with the second leading to Pastrnak’s opening power-play tally.
“I thought that was the best 5-on-5 game he’s had all year long,” said Montgomery. “He was a very determined hockey player tonight. It raises everybody’s intensity level. I think that it puts the next line coming over the boards in a real good position offensively.”
Marchand, who now has 19 points in 15 games this season, acknowledged it’s been difficult for him to accept that his conditioning and pace is behind many of his opponents after missing all of preseason, as well as the first three weeks of the regular season. as he rehabbed from offseason hip surgery. As such, he’s had to adjust a bit of his on-ice approach.
“I felt better tonight,” he said. “I think it’s just kind of accepting where I’m at and understanding the way I need to play, trying to play down low, behind guys, shortening up the shifts. That’s one thing Monty’s talked to me about is just getting back to where I normally feel I am…Just shortening up the shifts and being a little smarter about my game – because if you get extended it can affect you for 5 to 10 minutes depending on how long you’re out there. So, just trying to be smarter about shift length and stuff like that.”
Marchand added that a game against the defending Stanley Cup champions with the likes of Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Mikko Rantanen on either side, certainly helps get the juices flowing.
“Yeah, it definitely makes you more prepared,” said Marchand. “You have to be dialed if you play against that team and that line…every single shift they can break out and take over a game in one shift, so I thought we did a good job. They are really tough to play against and the talent on that line is insane.
“We felt good about the way we played, but they had a few big injuries for their group and that definitely affects the way their depth is. So, when those guys are back – I’m not sure if they’ll be back for the next game we play them [on Wednesday in Denver] or not, but we’ll get a better team out of it.”
Video: Montgomery speaks with media after 5-1 win over Avs
Wait, There’s More
- Linus Ullmark made 24 saves on 25 shots to improve to 14-1-0 this season. He’s also now 9-0-0 at home this season, joining Gilles Gilbert (16-0-0 in 1973-74) and Manny Fernandez (9-0-0 in 2008-09) as the only goalies in team history to earn the streak. wins in each of their first nine home decisions of a season.
- The 1929-30 Bruins and 2012-13 Chicago Blackhawks are the only other teams to reach 20 victories in 23 games, per NHL Stats.
- The Bruins’ overall home winning streak is now at 21 games dating back to April 16 (regular season and playoffs), which is the longest in team history and third-longest in NHL history behind Philadelphia (24 from Jan-April 1976) and Detroit. (23 from Nov. 2011-Feb. 2012).
- Nick Foligno dropped the gloves for a spirited bout with Colorado’s Andrea Englund later in the first period after the Avs’ blue liner drilled Foligno from behind along the boards in the neutral zone. After a long battle, Foligno got the take down.
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