First Bruins Goal Gave Anthony Richard ‘Special’ Experience

BOSTON — Bruins forward Anthony Richard scored only three goals in his NHL career coming into Saturday’s matchup with the Los Angeles Kings.

All three of them came last season when he sported a Montreal Canadiens uniform, and all three came on the road, too.

So, it was a different experience for Richard to hear the home crowd at TD Garden roar when he scored his first goal as a member of the Bruins in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Kings.

“Scoring at home, it’s always more special,” Richard said. “So, especially here, the crowd is pretty good when we score goals. They get us going. It obviously was a huge goal for our line. But it’s always nicer when you win, for sure. We’ve got to find a way to close those games.”

Richard’s goal with 6:56 left in the second period gave the Bruins a two-goal cushion. Jesper Boqvist and Jaukb Lauko won a puck battle along the end boards and found Richard all alone in front of the net. Richard didn’t miss his chance, roofing his shot over the right shoulder of Kings goalie David Rittich to register the tally.

The offensive production could help Richard, who played in his fourth game with the Bruins after being called up from Providence last week, stick with the Bruins for a longer period. But Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery sees the 5-foot-10, 185-pound forward doing more than just finding the back of the net.

“I think his compete, his willingness to be hard on walls and hard down on the forecheck, I think that buys him another game more than the goal itself,” Montgomery said. “The goal is nice. Great to see him have that poise right (in front).”

Richard dazzled with Providence this season, notching 19 goals and 19 assists in 38 games.

His role will be a bit different while he’s with Boston playing on the Bruins’ fourth line. But it also reunited him with Boqvist as the two spent time on the same line with Providence. And the chemistry they have together could also be key to Richard staying in the NHL.

“I loved playing with (Boqvist) in Providence,” Richard said. “He’s got a lot of speed, especially playing in the middle. In Providence, he was playing on the wing, so I know his natural position is the center. … I think he had a really solid game and it was easy for me to get to the net. He created a lot of spaces for me.”