Thanks to a natural hat trick and one more from their captain, the Boston Bruins defeated the Detroit Red Wings 5-1 on Thursday at TD Garden.
With the victory, the Bruins improve to 5-3-0. Detroit drops to 4-5-2.
You can view the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Patrice Bergeron finally got his moment -- then he got three more.
Entering Thursday's tilt, the captain had three assists but had been unable to light the lamp of his own accord. It's safe to say he made up for it against the Red Wings, logging a hat trick before the close of the second period.
He first got the Bruins on the board midway through the first period then doubled the lead with another goal at 10:52 of the second.
His third came at 18:45 of the second period.
The fourth was with less than five minutes remaining in the game.
His first three points were power play goals, so Bergeron ended up doing more than giving the Bruins the advantage and some insurance. Boston entered the night with a pretty dismal power play percentage -- tied with the Vancouver Canucks for ninth-worst in the NHL.
Combined with what has to be a moral victory for Bergeron, all that leads to a pretty decent night.
STARS OF THE GAME
-- Mike Reilly reminded the Red Wings where they belonged in this one with his third-period shorthanded goal, which came seconds after Detroit finally got one in the board in a 5-on-3 situation.
-- Brad Marchand was credited with assists on all four of Bergeron's goals, bringing him to eight this season. He also had two shots of his own.
-- Charlie McAvoy logged helpers on Bergeron's first and third goals. And he was putting in work, with four shots of his own and a team-high 21:14 on ice.
WAGER WATCH
Bergeron entered Thursday's game without a goal this season. Anyone who bet on tonight to be his night came away with a hefty payout, via DraftKings Sportsbook.
The captain was +165 as an anytime scorer, meaning a $100 bet would have netted a $165 reward. As for him coming away as the game's first goal scorer? He was 10-to-1, where a $100 wager would have rewarded $1,000.
As a whole, the Bruins were heavily favored in this one at -295.
UP NEXT ON NESN
The Bruins hit the road to face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday at 7 p.m. ET. You can watch all the action -- including pre- and postgame coverage -- live on NESN.
