BOSTON -- The Boston Bruins do nothing but win on their home ice as they earned a narrow 3-1 win over the visiting Calgary Flames at TD Garden on Thursday night.
The Bruins improved their record to 12-2-0, including an unblemished 8-0-0 mark at home, while the Flames lost their seventh game in a row to drop to 5-6-2.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
There's nothing like home for the Bruins.
The Bruins remain unbeaten on their home ice even though they played far from their best against the Flames. But that's also the mark of a good team to be able to keep picking up wins even when it doesn't play up to the standard expected.
While Boston's offense has garnered high praise this season and rightfully so -- after all, the Bruins came into the contest leading the entire NHL in goals per game -- it was its defense that stepped up big time in a variety of ways.
Boston's defensive pairings held Calgary in check after allowing an early goal and then two defensemen contributed offensively with goals as well. It seems no matter what though, the Bruins have the right winning recipe on home ice.
STARS OF THE GAME
-- Charlie McAvoy made sure his return to the lineup was felt. The star defenseman netted a wrist shot past Flames goalie Dan Vladar with 1:33 left in the second period. Pavel Zacha and Hampus Lindholm recorded assists on the tally.
-- Connor Clifton got into the scoring action as well. He got the Bruins on the board with 3:22 left in the opening frame after they fell down by a goal. Clifton showed terrific awareness to track down a rebound off his own shot before finding the back of the net.
-- Linus Ullmark continues to be extremely solid in the net. Starting in his sixth straight game, Ullmark made 31 saves to secure his 10th win already on the season.
WAGER WATCH
DraftKings Sportsbook set the total over/under at 6.5 goals, and despite there being two talented offenses on the ice, the Bruins and Flames didn't exceed that mark. With -120 odds on the Under, a $100 wager would have netted a total payout of $183.33.
UP NEXT ON NESN
The Bruins hit the road for the first game of a back-to-back on Saturday as they take on the Buffalo Sabres for the first time this season. Puck drop from KeyBank Center is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.
