Bruins Wrap: Linus Ullmark, Boston Marvelous In Win Vs. Penguins

BOSTON — The Bruins grabbed a 5-1 win off the Pittsburgh Penguins in Saturday’s matinee matchup at TD Garden, giving them back-to-back victories for the first time since mid-February.

Boston improved to 38-13-15 on the season, while Pittsburgh fell to 28-26-8. The Pens are on the cusp of falling out of wild-card contention.

Check out the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
It’s no secret that goaltending has been Boston’s calling card for a few seasons now, so great individual performances by Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman almost get glossed over at this point.

It would be impossible to ignore what Ullmark did Saturday afternoon, however.

Ullmark was busy, facing a barrage of shots through the first two periods that would have made any goaltender blush. He blanked Pittsburgh through those frames, though, and other than whiffing on a one-timer from Kris Letang early in the third he was spotless overall.

Boston had this game in hand by the second intermission, and it mostly has to do with the momentum shifts that were stopped dead in their tracks by the reigning Vezina Trophy winner.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Ullmark stopped 38 shots in this one, making a pair of beauties early that essentially helped Boston take control of the game.

3️⃣5️⃣ flashes the leather. pic.twitter.com/bHfeHLR7WH

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) March 9, 2024

— David Pastrnak’s pretty good, huh? He scored his 40th goal of the season, opening up the scoring for the Bruins, and added an assist. It’s his third straight season with 40 or more tallies.

— Jake DeBrusk is coming on strong as of late, tallying a goal and assist in this one. He’s got six points in his last four games.

WAGER WATCH
It’s the furthest thing from a “bad bet” when you forecast a Pastrnak goal. DraftKings Sportsbook gave him -125 odds of scoring Saturday, which means a $100 bet would have netted a $175 payout.

UP NEXT ON NESN
The Bruins will put a bow on their four-game homestand Monday, as they take on the St. Louis Blues at TD Garden. It’ll be Boston’s penultimate game against Central Division opponents this season, with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, following an hour of pregame coverage on NESN.