LOS ANGELES — The Boston Bruins became the first team in the NHL to win 30 games this season when they defeated the Los Angeles Kings 5-2 at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday.
The Bruins (30-4-4) are the third team in NHL history to get 30 wins in 38 or fewer games, joining the 1929-30 Bruins (35) and the 1944-45 Montreal Canadiens (38).
“It’s a reflection on the team,” Boston coach Jim Montgomery said. “To have 30 wins in 38 games, I mean, it’s a tribute to the entire organization.”
Video: BOS@LAK: Pastrnak scores 26th goal of the season in 2nd
Trent Frederic scored twice in 34 seconds in the third period, David Pastrnak had two goals, and Jeremy Swayman made 27 saves for the Bruins, who are 9-0-3 in their past 12 games.
“We just want to keep things rolling,” Swayman said. “We know how good we are, and games like this, where you have a little adversity with travel or whatever, you want to get on top and get those two points. So, it’s a feel-good win, but at the same time we’re still not satisfied.”
Pheonix Copley made 17 saves but had his seven-game winning streak end for the Kings (22-14-6).
“Obviously we just talked about how they capitalize on mistakes,” Los Angeles coach Todd McLellan said. “We didn’t make very many tonight, but they took advantage of the few that we made.”
Frederic put Boston ahead 3-2 at 10:36 of the third, tipping in Brandon Carlo‘s shot from the right point, then made it 4-2 on a backhand from close range Nick Foligno‘s pass from behind the net at 11:10 for his NHL career-high ninth goal of the season.
“I haven’t had anything like that, like two goals in one shift,” Frederic said. “I was actually ready to change after scoring the first one. Too much on the celebration. I was lucky enough, I stayed out there.”
Video: BOS@LAK: Frederic gives Bruins lead in 3rd period
McLellan said the Kings made two mistakes on the sequence, allowing an odd-man rush off the face-off and overcommitting to Foligno after working the puck behind the goal to halt the initial threat.
“Like I said, a tight game, little mistakes are going to happen,” Los Angeles forward Phillip Danault said. “You don’t want to be the team cracking.”
Pastrnak scored into an empty net at 17:33 for the 5-2 final. It was his 27th goal and eighth in nine games.
Danault gave the Kings a 1-0 lead at 16:04 of the first period. Alex Iafallo found Danault cutting to the crease, and he scored for the fourth time in the past five games.
Pastrnak tied it 1-1 at 6:26 of the second period, scoring on a wrist shot from the high slot.
Brad Marchand put the Bruins up 2-1 at 8:47, scoring six seconds into a power play on a sharp-angle one-timer from the right circle set up by Charlie McAvoy.
Video: BOS@LAK: Marchand gives Bruins lead in 2nd period
Sean Durzi‘s one-timer from the left circle at 11:08 tied it 2-2.
“It could have gone our way, it really did,” Kings forward Kevin Fiala said. “Just maybe it’s just the next step. They kind of know how to win, and the next step is, for us, to know in those situations to just figure out the win.”
It was the first game in NHL history featuring two Alaska-born goaltenders. Copley is from the North Pole; Swayman is from Anchorage.
“It’s so special and something you’ll never forget coming from Alaska,” Swayman said. “I know what it took Pheonix to get here. To represent such an incredible state on the biggest stage, it’s pretty incredible.”
NOTES: Boston goalie Linus Ullmark was named to the Atlantic Division, and Fiala to the Pacific Division for the 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Game. … Marchand scored his 70th power-play goal to pass Zdeno Chara for 10th in Bruins history. … Frederic has nine goals in 35 games after scoring eight in 60 games last season. … Center Anze Kopitar got his 400th assist at home, joining Marcel Dionne (412) as the only players in Kings history to do so.
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