BOSTON — Not even the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche could take down the Bruins on their home ice with Boston earning a 5-1 victory Saturday night at TD Garden.
With the win, the Bruins improve their NHL-best record to 20-3-0, including a perfect 14-0-0 mark at home. The Avalanche fell to 13-8-1.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The beat marches on for the Bruins.
Boston turned in a complete all-around effort against the Avalanche, who are dealing with some injuries, but still have two other-worldly players in Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. Bruins coach Jim Montgomery even compared Makar to Bobby Orr prior to the game.
But the Bruins had no real issue dispatching Colorado, checking off plenty of boxes in the win. They scored on the power play. They killed off penalties. Performed well five-on-five. Got solid goaltending.
There were practically no holes in Boston’s showing as they took control with two first-period goals and continues to assert themselves after that as evidenced by outshooting the Avalanche, 15-4, in the second period.
The level of competition has gone up recently for the Bruins and they just keep rising to the occasion.
STARS OF THE GAME
— David Pastrnak added to his team-leading goal total by potting two more tallies. Pastrnak opened up the scoring with a blast on the power play in the first period and then added one for the highlight reel in the second frame with a filthy move on a breakaway to beat Colorado goalie Pavel Francouz. He now has 16 goals on the season.
— Charlie McAvoy turned in a multi-point performance as he recorded two assists. Both of the helpers came in the opening stanza, including one on a terrific play that allowed the Bruins to take a 2-0 lead late in the first period.
— Trent Frederic broke out of his scoring slump by netting two goals. Frederic hadn’t scored since Nov. 7 and it was the first multi-goal game of his career. He is up to five goals on the campaign.
WAGER WATCH
DraftKings Sportsbook set the odds of David Krejci notching an assist at +125. The centerman cashed that ticket by springing Pastrnak loose on his sensational goal. A $100 wager on that prop bet would have netted a total of $225.
UP NEXT
The Bruins look to continue their home dominance Monday when they welcome in former coach Bruce Cassidy and the Vegas Golden Knights. Puck drop from TD Garden is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and you can catch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.
