BOSTON — The Boston Bruins hosted the Ottawa Senators at TD Garden on Monday afternoon and behind David Pastrnak proved the third time would be the charm while earning a 3-1 victory.
Ottawa was the only team that had beat Boston in each of its two matchups this season. The Bruins, who now have won four straight, previously lost once in regulation and once in a shootout to the Senators.
The Bruins improved their league-best record to 43-8-5 while the Senators fell to 27-25-4 on the campaign.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The connection of Charlie McAvoy and Pastrnak proved to be the key in Boston’s victory on Presidents’ Day. Pastrnak scored the game-winning and insurance goals for the Black and Gold, both of which were assisted by McAvoy. The star defenseman made a heads up play from his backside at 12:10 of the third period, unleashing a long pass to ignite Pastrnak on a breakaway bid. Pastrnak was all alone at the blue line before scoring his second of the game and giving the Bruins a much-needed insurance tally.
Pastrnak previously scored what proved to be the game-winner late in the second period. The All-Star forward now has 41 goals on the season.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Pastrnak scored his 40th goal of the season with a second-period tally that gave Boston a 2-1 lead at 17:06. McAvoy found Pastrnak after David Krejci won a faceoff in the offensive zone. Pastrnak unleashed a filthy snipe over the glove of Ottawa goaltender Kevin Mandolese.
— McAvoy created offense both in transition and on the forecheck. McAvoy, who recorded assists on each of Boston’s three goals, made a key play on Pastrnak’s second-period tally, faking that he was going to send the puck around the boards. The fake prompted a pair of Senators players to leave Pastrnak with way more space than he’s familiar with, and you know what happened from there.
— Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark kept the Bruins in it through the first two periods with a number of momentum-building stops. Ullmark finished with 30 saves on 31 shots, limiting the Senators to one goal on 24 shots through two periods. But perhaps no stop was bigger than Ullmark’s flashy glove save on Grade-A opportunity from Ottawa’s Dylan Gambrell at 11:23 of the middle period.
WAGER WATCH
Jake DeBrusk continued his stellar stretch with a first-period goal at 15:09, which gave the Bruins a 1-0 advantage. He was 13-to-1 on DraftKings Sportsbook to score the game’s first goal, meaning a $100 wager would have netted $1,400.
DeBrusk, playing in just his second game since returning from a month-long absence due to a lower body injury, now has three points in two games since his return. He also has four goals in his last three contests dating all the way back to the Winter Classic.
ON DECK AT NESN
Boston will head out west for a four-game road trip starting with a contest against the Seattle Kraken on Thursday night. Puck drop is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET, and you can watch it on NESN following an hour of pregame coverage.
