Bruins Pass Canucks Test Against Top Western Conference Contender

BOSTON — The Bruins have been chasing the ultimate NHL prize since 2011: adding another Stanley Cup title to the franchise’s historic legacy.

Boston has returned to the Stanley Cup Finals twice in that span, falling short in both instances in 2013 and 2019. The Bruins have elevated talent and success over the last two regular seasons with one focus on winning a championship.

Thursday night certainly sparked memories of 2011 when the Bruins hosted the Vancouver Canucks, the team that Boston defeated to snap a 39-year title drought. When the teams met for the Stanley Cup that year, Vancouver won 54 games as the top team in the Western Conference before ultimately winning the conference title. Against a formidable opponent, the Bruins rallied from a 3-2 series deficit to rise about the talented Vancouver team.

Fast forward 13 seasons and a similar script remains in the NHL. Vancouver entered the latest meeting with the best record in the Western Conference. Squaring off against the Eastern Conference’s best team, TD Garden hosted a marquee matchup on Thursday night.

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With the opening puck drop, the Canucks began the game with momentum, going on the power play from a Jakub Lauko holding penalty just 17 seconds into the action. It didn’t take long for the Bruins to rip it away.

Brad Marchand needed just 15 seconds into the penalty-kill and 32 seconds into the game to find the back of the net and give the Bruins the lead. Danton Heinen provided another short-handed goal later in the period. Morgan Geekie and Pavel Zacha followed up with goals in the second period, the Bruins killed all five of their penalties and Linus Ullmark stopped the only 17 shots he saw in a 4-0 shutout victory.

Like any chance against a quality team, Boston’s players appreciated the opportunity to get an in-season assessment of where they stand against elite talent.

“It’s a good challenge for us to battle-test us,” Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm told reporters. “We’ll talk through the positives. It’s one hockey game.”

When wins stand out as Thursday night’s victory did, those performances can especially offer reassurance about the potential of the team. Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark certainly subscribed to that belief after his first shutout of the season.

“It’s a confirmer for us that we know how good we are,” Ullmark told reporters. “Coming in here and having one, if not, our best game of the season. It shows a lot.”

Ullmark continued: “It’s obviously fun to play against the best. You want to show why you are one of the best, if not the best team. You have that little (chance) on the side to really prove yourself. That’s something that a lot of teams also have against us in the position that we are. The difficulty for us is that we keep our head straight and that we are humble against every opponent we play against because we know they’re going to bring their best. We’ve got to answer the bell every night.”

On the coaching side, Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery was hesitant to crown the victory, knowing Vancouver will offer an improved challenge in just over two weeks, and maybe even another one to start the summer.

“It’s not our best performance,” Montgomery said after the win. “The next time we go into Vancouver, we’re going to see a much different team. I know it was first place in the West against first place in the East. I understand the question, but it didn’t have that feel in the intensity of the game.”

The teams will rematch in 16 days in British Columbia when the Bruins visit the Canucks on Feb. 24.