The Boston Bruins defeated the Montreal Canadiens, 5-4, to close their stellar regular season Thursday night at Bell Centre.
The Bruins finished their historic campaign at 65-12-5, while the Canadiens ended at 31-45-6.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Boston was the best team in hockey, from start to finish.
In the regular season finale, against a subpar Canadiens team with eyes set on the draft lottery, the Bruins didn't have much to prove. They had already clinched the No. 1 seed. They'd already broken a stockpile of records, including the NHL's all-time single-season wins record, but playing with a content demeanor isn't Boston's style. The Black and Gold gave it their all until the final buzzer of the campaign, allowing no room for Montreal to seize a freebie in front of its home crowd.
But as he's done time and time again, David Pastrnak rose to the occasion, scoring what proved to be the game-winning goal to cap off the year in picture-perfect fashion. Who better, right?
Despite taking a precautionary approach, which included pulling team captain Patrice Bergeron early after 5:36 minutes on the ice, the B's gave the Canadiens a run for their money, treating Game 82 like a postseason contest, which they've consistently done over the course of the year.
The B's pushed their newly-set wins record to 65, winning their last five straight.
STARS OF THE GAME
-- Pastrnak, while netting his 61st goal of the season, delivered the game-decider to send the Bruins to the win column for good.
-- Charlie Coyle gave the Bruins new life, scoring a clutch game-tying goal in the third period.
-- Dmitry Orlov was heavily involved, pitching in with a goal and assisting on Pastrnak's game-winner.
WAGER WATCH
FanDuel Sportsbook set the odds of Trent Frederic netting a goal at +650. Frederic, who last found the back of the net on March. 18 against the Minnesota Wild, cleared those odds in the first frame of play. A $100 wager placed on the 25-year-old would've netted a $750 total payout.
UP NEXT
The Bruins, at last, will next prepare for their much-anticipated Stanley Cup playoff run. With home-ice advantage throughout the entirety of the postseason, Boston will face the Florida Panthers in the first round.
