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Talking Points: Bergeron Busts Out With 4 Goals for Boston Bruins

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2 years ago

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Boston Bruins

Here are the Talking Points from the Boston Bruins 5-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings at TD Garden on Thursday night.

GOLD STAR: Who else but Patrice Bergeron? He had the worst start of his NHL career with zero goals in the first seven games, but he exploded with four goals, including three on the power play, in a game for the second time in his NHL career. The three PP goals were all from his bumper spot as Brad Marchand was finding him in his sweet offensive spot and then the final was a transition goal in the third period that shot through the five hole of Thomas Greiss. Now Bergeron goes from the worst start of his NHL career to tied for the team lead in goals, and it really underscores why it wasn’t worth worrying too much about No. 37 given how strange the spaced-out early season schedule has been for the Black and Gold. Certainly, it makes Tony Mazz and Jim Murray look like a couple of rent-a-host jabronis for questioning Bergeron’s heart on Felger & Mazz this afternoon on the 98.5 flagship radio station of the Boston Bruins.

BLACK EYE: Tyler Bertuzzi was pretty invisible against the Bruins as a bit of a lone wolf with Dylan Larkin away from the team, and Jakub Vrana out with an injury. He had just one shot on net in 16:50 of ice timer and he took a real boneheaded interference penalty on Charlie McAvoy in the offensive zone when the puck was on Detroit’s stick. That led to Patrice Bergeron’s second PP goal of the night and a 2-0 lead in the second period that had the Boston Bruins off and running for the rest of the game. Given the youth and inexperience on the Red Wings roster right now and that Bertuzzi is sitting out Canadian games as one of the only unvaccinated players in the NHL, he can’t afford no-show games this one against the Bruins.

TURNING POINT: Jeremy Swayman didn’t have a ton of work to do while making 15 saves in the win, but his stop on Mason Raymond in the second period when it was still a 2-0 game really ended up being a big stop. That held things for the Bruins to pour on another PP goal against a young, undermanned Red Wings group before continuing to extend the lead in the third period. Swayman wasn’t a huge factor in the game either way, but he made the big save at the right time. That’s exactly what they needed from the rookie netminder as he continues to be undefeated on home TD Garden ice in his NHL career.

HONORABLE MENTION: Mike Reilly hadn’t scored in a long time, but he finally broke open the goal-scoring seal on Thursday night. Reilly followed up a shorthanded Curtis Lazar breakaway and then popped in the rebound with a hustle play, and the rare Boston Bruins shorty that isn’t scored by Brad Marchand. All-around Reilly was really solid for the B’s with five shots on net, two points and a plus-2 rating with 19:19 of ice time and three hits and a blocked shot. If Reilly can step up into a little more offensive production from the B’s back end it could really address an issue that the B’s have been grappling with thus far this season.

BY THE NUMBERS: 5 – the number of Bruins players that have notched a hat trick at 36 years old or older, as Patrice Bergeron joined Johnny Bucyk (6 times), Jean Ratelle, Dit Clapper and Dave Andreychuk.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “He’s too good of a player to keep him down for too long.” –Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy on Patrice Bergeron after exploding for four goals in the win over the Red Wings.

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