Marc Savard made sure it was not a long, painful stretch.
The B's forward, fresh off the signing of a long-term extension to stay in Boston, netted third career hat trick that night, twice beating Joey MacDonald and then getting crafty to beat Vesa Toskala in the third period.
After the game, Savard didn't seem all that impressed with himself.
"None of them were the prettiest goals, that's for sure," Savard said. "But I thought my wingers played well. [Blake] Wheeler was all over the puck, and [Byron] Bitz was getting into the net and just gave me opportunities."
Head coach Claude Julien admitted that the return of Phil Kessel was on the team's collective mind, and he credited Savard for stepping up his game.
"He was ready to play," Julien said of Savard. "We all know the situation as what has been the main topic for the last few days with Phil coming back, and I think our players wanted to show they were ready to go."
Savard certainly was, and for that, he earned the honors.
