Pastrnak Gets Second Hat Trick This Season, Bruins Embarrass Canadiens 8-1

Despite missing their top center Patrice Bergeron, seven regulars total and being outshot 37-24, the Boston Bruins still beat the Montreal Canadiens 8-1 at the Bell Centre in Montreal Tuesday for their fourth straight win, extending their point streak (5-0-3) to eight games.

David Pastrnak got his second hat trick of the season extending his league lead in goals to 23. and Brad Marchand had a goal and two assists to hit the 600-point plateau. Charlie Coyle also lit the lamp and had two helpers. Sean Kuraly had three assists and Torey Krug and David Krejci each had two helpers. Jake DeBrusk and Danton Heinen also scored for the Bruins. Zdeno Chara and Brandon Carlo had an assist and rookie Jack Studnicka earned his first NHL point in his first game with a helper as well.

Shea Weber had the lone goal for the Canadiens.

Bruins goalie Jaro Halak made 36 saves in the win to snap a two-game winless streak after losing the last two in a shootout. Meanwhile, Canadiens starter Carey Price was pulled after allowing five goals on 11 shots. Backup Keith Kinkaid didn’t fair too better allowing three goals on 13 shots.

The Bruins scored two powerplay goals in the first period with DeBrusk (5) connecting on the man advantage at 8:03 into the opening frame and Pastrnak (21) getting his first goal at 2:24 on the Bruins second powerplay of the period. That would be their last of the game as they finished the game 2-for-2. Kuraly and Krejci assisted on the DeBrusk goal and Coyle and Marchand had the helpers on the Pastrnak tally.

Weber scored in between those Bruins goals to tie it at 8:03 with Brendan Gallagher getting the helpers. That would be the last time the Habs were even in the game as the Bruins scored the game’s next seven goals.

Marchand made it 3-1 with 37 seconds left in the first to get his 600th point of his career. Coyle got his second helper of the period with the lone assist on Marchand’s 17th of the season.

Despite being outshot 13-8 in the opening frame, the Bruins found themselves up 3-1 heading to the second and they didn’t waste time capitalizing on the Canadiens’ frustrations scoring two goals in the first 1:18 of the middle frame to extend their lead to a commanding 5-1 lead. Pastrnak got his second of the game and 22nd of the season just eight ticks into the period with Marchand and Chara getting the helpers. That goal was the end for Price as the Habs called a timeout and pulled the embattled goalie who has now lost five straight games.

Just 1:02 later Anders Bjork shot home his fourth of the season and extended the lead to 6-1. Kuraly got the lone assist, his second of the night. Not even ten minutes later, Pastrnak had his second hat trick of the season when he beat Kinkaid at 9:06. Carlo got the primary assist and Krejci got his second helper of the game. The Bruins were still being outshot 27-15 and somehow led 6-1 after two periods of play.

Coyle completed his three-point night and earned some redemption for the called back goal in the 5-4 loss at Montreal back on November 5 when he scored his fifth of the season at 8:26 of the third period, extending the Bruins lead to 7-1. Krug got the primary assist and Kuraly got his third point of the night with the secondary. Heinen would add even more salt to the wounded Habs with his fifth of the season with 2:02 left in the game. Studnicka got the primary and Krug had his second assist and fourth in two games since returning from the upper-body injury that kept him out for the previous five games.

The Bruins play the Senators in Ottawa Wednesday night and the return home for the Black Friday game at TD Garden against the New York Rangers Friday afternoon.