Bruins Wrap: Jake DeBrusk Secures OT Victory Over Canadiens

The Boston Bruins defeated the Montreal Canadiens, 2-1 in overtime, at Centre Bell on Thursday night.

With the win, the Bruins improved to 39-14-15 while the Canadiens dropped to 25-30-11 on their campaign.

Check out the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Boston went head-to-head with Montreal until the very end in search of a bounce-back win after Monday night’s lopsided 5-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues.

However, as has been the case for the Bruins recently, closing the contest out in regulation proved to be a major challenge yet again.

The Bruins survived three critical Canadiens power play opportunities but, at the same time, failed to capitalize on four chances of their own. The defensive will was present, consistent and showed up at just the right moments to keep Boston’s window open for a much-needed go-ahead goal to help seal a victory and prevent consecutive losses.

But with the offense much more stagnant than the defense, Boston and Montreal were sent to overtime — the sixth time the Bruins have gone to overtime in their last 14 games.

And just 25 seconds into overtime, Jake DeBrusk sported the heroes cape and delivered the game-sealing answer, burying the goal that closed Boston’s season series win over Montreal to 3-0-1 this season.

STARS OF THE GAME
— DeBrusk ensured the Bruins would be rewarded for shutting down Montreal’s offense after the first period, courtesy of the 27-year-old’s 16th goal of the season.

A 7️⃣4️⃣ CELLY SIGN OFF 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/ehxfIIy1PI

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) March 15, 2024

— Linus Ullmark was at the forefront of Boston’s defensive game, holding Montreal scoreless for the second and third periods after surrendering the Canadiens’ first goal. Ullmark finished with 18 saves in 60:25 minutes.

— Montreal’s Sam Montembeault was also elite, recording 23 saves but coming up short.

WAGER WATCH
FanDuel Sportsbook set the odds of Danton Heinen scoring a goal at +410. The 28-year-old lit the lamp at 4:49 of the first period to open the scoring in the game with his 12th tally of the season. A $100 wager placed on Heinen would’ve netted a $510 total payout.

UP NEXT ON NESN
The Bruins will get a few off days before returning to the ice to host the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night. Puck drop from TD Garden is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, and you can catch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, live on NESN.