BOSTON — The Bruins clinched the Atlantic Division with 10 games left, and TD Garden witnessed a playoff-like atmosphere Saturday.
The action needed nine seconds to get going with Garnet Hathaway and Jakub Lauko setting the tone for Boston. The former scored what ended up being the game-winning goal in the second period, showing he can get it done as a scrapper and through his skill on the ice.
The Black and Gold edged out the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 which put the Bruins one win away from the all-time single-season record of 57 set in 1970-71. It also extended Boston’s winning streak to six games.
“We had an inkling that Tampa Bay was going to want to play an energetic, emotional game,” Montgomery said. “Didn’t know it was going to happen that quick, but we started (Tomas) Nosek a lot because we knew it was going to get us off to a fast start, and they (the fourth line) did it again. Obviously, that game-winning goal by them was instrumental in our victory.”
It was a tight contest held together by goalies Andrei Vasilevskiy and Linus Ullmark. The latter made timely saves — with 26 total in the contest — and Boston’s performance in the D-zone was the highlight Saturday afternoon.
“I think 85% of it was will by both teams,” Montgomery said of how much the game was determined by will or skill. “I think it just made for a really good hockey game — maybe a late ’80s, early ’90s kind of hockey game. It’s great because we’re gonna face this in the playoffs. We’re gonna face games where it’s physical and hard, and I really liked the way we responded. … I just thought everyone started winning foot races, which is a big indication of not being deterred by any physicality that comes that way.”
Here are some more notes from Saturday’s Bruins-Lightning game:
— It was a strength-versus-strength matchup between the Bruins’ league-leading penalty kill against the Lightning’s third-ranked power play. Boston’s penalty kill unit won the battle, holding Tampa Bay to 0-of-5 with the man advantage, including a 5-on-3 in the second period.
However, the Bruins were 1-for-7 on the power play against a league-average penalty kill unit.
— Dmitry Orlov played in his 700th career NHL game in his 11th season in the league. The defenseman was vital on the Bruins’ penalty kill unit, and he logged the second-most ice time with 23:42.
“It was a playoff game,” Orlov said. “From the first, you could feel there was a lot of energy. I think both teams tried to play hard today. …”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell everybody,” Hathaway said of Orlov’s impact on Boston. “Off the ice, on the ice, he works hard. It’s not a surprise the puck is finding the back of the net for him. He’s making plays. He’s physical. I think it’s a great playoff style of hockey that he plays. I got traded, but I was really excited to be traded with him, and see what we can do, and be a part of this team and make an impact.”
— David Krejci moved into fifth in Bruins history in most games played at 1,028. He trails former defenseman and current general manager Don Sweeney by 24 games for fourth on the all-time list.
— The Bruins head to the road to face the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday. Puck drop from PNC Arena is scheduled at 5 p.m. ET, and you can catch full coverage of the game, along with pregame, on NESN.
