BOSTON — The surging Boston Bruins looked lucky to be leading the struggling Philadelphia Flyers as the two squads headed into the third period. Then things started to round into form.
Boston exploded for three goals in the final frame, controlling possession of the puck and firing shots on Philadelphia goalie Carter Hart at will. It was a welcomed change from the first two periods, where the Bruins looked disjointed after a three-day layoff.
The slow start was evident, with head coach Jim Montgomery providing his best explanation for the reason why postgame.
“Today, I think it was more a product of us not having played in three days, which is the longest we’ve gone this year, since we started playing,” Montgomery said. “And I think our guys were too excited to play. Our puck movement was really good, but we were skating out of position, offensively and especially defensively. We were skating toward the middle of the ice a lot, which is uncommon for us.
“Philadelphia, they took advantage of it, credit to them. But they got some really good looks and Linus (Ullmark) had to be really good until we executed great on the faceoff.”
Boston didn’t give up a goal in the first two periods, but they did give up two breakaway shots within the first 10 minutes of the game as the forwards and defensemen seemed to struggle with their timing and were unable to get clean entries into the offensive zone. It also didn’t help Boston that Philadelphia was coming into the matchup having lost four-consecutive games.
“Coming in, I think they lost four in a row,” David Krejci said postgame. “And they have a coach who wants them to play hard. So we new they were going to give us a hard time. But we were ready. We stayed patient, kept building our game and in the third period we took over and finished the job.”
Here are more notes from Thursday’s Bruins-Flyers game:
— At 10-0-0, the 2022-23 Bruins extended their franchise record for most consecutive home wins to start a season. Montgomery spoke about what he’s seen from his squad so far after the game.
“It’s hard to explain,” Montgomery said, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “It’s the energy, the attitude, and it’s incredible to watch these guys go and how hard they play for each other.”
— Nick Foligno had two assists in the win, bringing his career total to 300.
— Hampus Lindholm has played 27 regular season games as a member of the Bruins. Boston’s record in those games is 23-4, with Lindholm registering as a plus-30 overall. He was a plus-2 on Thursday with an assist, bringing his season total to 14 — second-most on the Bruins.
— The Bruins will welcome the Chicago Blackhawks to TD Garden on Saturday, capping off a three-game homestand. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.
