The Boston Bruins improved to 6-1-0 under interim head coach Bruce Cassidy with a 6-3 win over the Dallas Stars on Sunday afternoon. The victory also ends a successful road trip during which Boston went 3-1-0 to keep pace in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
The Bruins’ offense notched four-plus goals for the ninth time in the last 12 games, and Sunday’s explosion was led by the top line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak (David Backes started with this line at right wing).
Boston improves to 32-24-6 with the win, while Dallas drops to 24-28-10.
Here’s how it all went down.
TOP LINE DELIVERS
Bergeron (2 G, 1 A, 5 SOG), Marchand (1 G, 2 A, 1 SOG) and Pastrnak (0 G, 2 A, 2 SOG) paced Boston’s attack with their best game as a line this season.
Marchand got the scoring going 5:56 into the first period after some pretty passing by Pastrnak and Bergeron. It was the sixth time in the last seven games that the B’s opened the scoring.
Bergeron scored in the second period to give the Bruins a 4-2 lead, and then again in the third period to increase Boston’s edge to 5-2. These tallies put the game away.
Marchand’s three points gives him a career-high 64, beating the 61 points he tallied last season.
BERGERON UNSTOPPABLE
Bergeron, in particular, had a phenomenal game. Not only did he register three points, he did a nice job defensively against one of the league’s most skilled forward groups.
The veteran center’s playmaking production also has increased this season. Passing always has been an underrated part of his skill set.
Bergeron has tallied 26 points in his last 23 games, a welcomed sight for the Bruins after his slow start to the season offensively.
2 U’s, 2 K’s, 2 POINTS
Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask continued his stellar play in net with a 33-save performance for his 29th win of the season. None of his saves were more impressive than the one below.
Rask stood tall in net for Boston and was plenty busy, too, evidenced by the 36 shots and seven high-danger scoring chances he faced.
DROP THE GLOVES
Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller is one of the toughest fighters in the league, and Stars forward Curtis McKenzie found that out firsthand. These guys dropped the gloves for a second-period bout, and Miller was able to pop McKenzie’s helmet off with a vicious right-handed punch.
UP NEXT
The Bruins return home to host the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
Thumbnail photo via Jerome Miron/USA TODAY Sports Images
