Even on an off night, the Boston Bruins continue to showcase why they've become the favorites to lift Lord Stanley's Cup come June.
Boston's win over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night from Bell Center provided an opportunity for two teams on opposite ends of the Eastern Conference standings to throw out the record books and play a good old-fashioned rivalry game.
That is exactly what the two squads did, but the Bruins' clear talent advantage showed up when it mattered most.
"I thought it was a classic rivalry game," Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said postgame, as seen on NESN. "I thought the Canadiens played hard. We had to fight for every inch. Typical Boston Bruins, the Spoked B found the way led by our captain.
"I thought Brad Marchand was incredible tonight, and obviously our Czech line came through with a couple of key goals for us."
The Czech line combined for seven points in the victory, including two goals, but it was Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron who tallied the game winner in his home province of Québec.
"It's great," Bergeron said postgame, as seen on NESN. "I don't think you can ask for anything better than Boston-Montreal. No matter what day it is, I think the fans are into it. It's a special rivalry and I'm proud to be a part of it."
Here are more notes from Tuesday's Bruins-Canadiens game:
-- David Pastrnak and David Krejci connected on a tip from the slot that gave the elder Czech native his 12th goal of the season, just one night before NESN celebrates his 1,000th career game.
-- The Bruins reached 80 points with the victory, doing so in game No. 47 of the season. It took 62 games for Boston to reach that mark in 2021-22. The Bruins are now on a 140-point pace, which would smash the NHL record of 132.
-- Bruins forward A.J. Greer, a native of Joliette, Québec, played his first NHL game at Bell Center on Tuesday. The 26-year-old spoke about how special an opportunity it was, as he grew up a fan of the Canadiens.
"It's a very special day for me," Greer told NESN's Sophia Jurksztowicz during the first intermission. "Myself, my friends, my family. Just being able to step out on that ice, ice that means a lot to me. I played here as a kid in exhibition games. I came here several times to watch the Canadiens play. I actually emptied my bank account one time, $200, to come (to Bell Center) and I didn't even think twice about it because of how special an NHL game is."
-- Taylor Hall broke open the scoring for Boston, snapping a 16-game streak without a goal. The rebound shot was his first tally since Dec. 17.
-- The Bruins will head down south to continue a five-game road trip Thursday, starting a two-game stretch in Florida by taking on the Tampa Bay Lightning. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET from Amalie Arena. You can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.
