BOSTON — Several Bruins newcomers made their mark to lead the way to a 6-4 win over the Montreal Canadiens in Boston’s home opener at TD Garden on Thursday night.
It was also the first win of the season for the Bruins to move their record to 1-1-0 while the Canadiens dropped to 1-1-0.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney was aggressive in the offseason, bringing in several new pieces to go with Boston’s strong core.
Well, Sweeney’s vision came to life against Boston’s hated rival.
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The Bruins got plenty of production from their offseason signings to help Boston score four consecutive goals after the Canadiens took a 2-1 lead with 7:42 left in the first period.
Mark Kastelic, who got into a fight on opening night, showed off his scoring skills by going bar down to tie things up and Elias Lindholm gave the Bruins the lead before the first period came to an end when the centerman redirected in a pass from Nikita Zadorov, who came to Boston alongside Lindholm from the Vancouver Canucks.
Fourth-line winger Cole Koepke, who turned in a three-point night, factored into a goal when he crashed the net hard and poked a puck past Canadiens goalie Cayden Primeau. By the end of the night, Kastelic, Lindholm, Zadorov and Koepke combined for 10 points.
The Bruins got the typical contributions as well from Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak as each tallied a goal. McAvoy’s came on the power play.
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Put it all together and it was enough for the Bruins to hold off a Canadiens rally and make them 14-0-1 against Montreal in the last 15 games the two sides have met.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Lindholm’s first goal in a Bruins uniform with 1:37 left in the first period gave Boston the lead for good. He also registered assists on McAvoy and Pastrnak’s goals to secure a three-point night.
— Zadorov assisted on back-to-back goals at the end of the first period to help give the Bruins the lead. His pass to Lindholm for a tally showed the connection the two have from having played three previous seasons together.
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— Kastelic scored twice and netted a big insurance goal. He found the back of the net just 16 seconds after Brendan Gallagher score his second of the night. Kastelic also made an impact at the dot winning 5-of-6 faceoffs.
UP NEXT
The Bruins continue their first homestand of the season Saturday when they host the Los Angeles Kings in matinee action. Puck drop from TD Garden is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET, and you can watch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.
Featured image via Bob DeChiara/Imagn Images
