The Boston Bruins got their revenge on the Vegas Golden Knights, earning a 3-1 victory Sunday night at T-Mobile Arena.
The Bruins improved their NHL-best record to 22-4-1, while the Golden Knights fell to 20-9-1.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
This game had every right to be a slog, but in a matchup between the NHL’s two conference leaders, it was the exact opposite.
Sure, things got sloppy at points. The Bruins entered on the last leg of their West Coast road trip and the Golden Knights were without three of their top six scorers. Boston continuously played sloppy defense, sending Vegas to the power play four times. Vegas shied away from contact all night and saw its offensive intensity suffer as a result. In the end, the Bruins were slightly more energized and that was the difference maker. Where did the energy come from? Some new lines and pairings.
Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery completely shuffled his lines with David Krejci out. The “Perfection Line” of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak got back together, with Jake DeBrusk sliding down and Taylor Hall sliding up to join Pavel Zacha on the second line. That left Charlie Coyle and Trent Frederic needing another wing, where Nick Foligno filled in well.
All three of those lines contributed a goal, playing far from perfect hockey but getting the job done off of energy and effort alone.
STARS OF THE GAME
— DeBrusk was a man possessed in Vegas. The 26-year-old played what may have been the most physical game of his career with six hits, and added to his goal total with an absolute beauty in the early minutes of the third period.
— Coyle’s line dominated time of possession, cashing in with a third-period goal as they played keep away before the 30-year-old potted his eighth of the season.
— Connor Clifton was dropping bodies all night, delivering a game-high seven hits and adding an assist on Bergeron’s second-period goal.
WAGER WATCH
DraftKings Sportsbook set the odds of Bergeron potting a goal at +180. The B’s captain cashed that ticket in the second period. A $100 wager on the prop would have netted a total of $280.
UP NEXT
The Bruins will return home Tuesday night when they take on the New York Islanders at TD Garden. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and you can catch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.
