Connect with us

Boston Bruins

Bruins Game 2 Takeaways: Electric Home Opener for Boston

Published

on

boston-bruins-montreal-canadiens
AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

BOSTON –  It was an electric home opener for Elias Lindholm and the Boston Bruins.  



The Bruins center netted a goal and added two assists, as the Boston defeated the Montreal Canadiens, 6-4, Thursday at TD Garden.

Unlike their disappointing season opening loss to the Florida Panthers, the Bruins got its offense in motion from the drop of the puck. Boston outshot Montreal 13-6 in the opening period.

The Bruins got first period goals from Charlie McAvoy, Mark Kastelic and Elias Lindholm grabbing a 3-2 lead. Elias’ goal came off a deep screen shot with 1:37 remaining in the stanza.  David Pastrnak and Cole Koepke provided some second period insurance building a 5-2 cushion.

Kastelic sealed the victory with an insurance marker at 16:00, with Kopeke and Brandon Carlo assisting.

“That was a fun first game at home,” said Koepke. “It was a big bounce back for the guys, and first group win of the season.”

Koepke’s line with Johnny Beecher and Kastelic seemed to set the tone which the rest of the club following suit. the fourth line finished the night with an impressive +3 rating.

“I thought our whole line did a great job of just staying connected and playing together,” said Koepke. “I thought we were playing fast and simple. When you play like that the offense in the game comes to us. We’re trying to put the other team on their heels. Just wear them down. Take care of the puck and play our system. Everything else comes our way.”

Meanwhile, Jeremy Swayman held steady in his season debut. The Bruins netminder made 21 saves, holding the Habs scoreless in the second period giving the Bruins all the momentum it would ultimately need.  

Read: Tenacious Forward Cole Koepke a Surprise Addition to Bruins Lineup

Sharing the wealth 

The Bruins benefited from a spread offensive attack. 

Each line made significant contributions, with all but one getting on the scoreboard.  

The top line of Pavel Zacha, Elias Lindholm and David Pastrnak, accounted for two goals and four assists. Brad Marchand added a helper on the McAvoy’s goal 

The third line continues to be a work in progress. Checking line center Trent Fredric, Riley Tufte and Justin Brazeau were held scoreless, but had some nice looks early. They even appeared to give Boston the lead on a Hampus Lindholm blueline blast, but Brazeau was called goaltender interference.  A left winger, Tufte made his regular season debut in place of Max Jones.   

Kastelic and Beecher shared for the team lead with three checks each. But both were no match for McAvoy’s thunderous hit on Kirby Dach in the first period. The open-ice check floored the center, drawing a seismic reaction from the crowd. Charlie Coyle blocked a team-high four shots.

The Bruins defense also held firm after a shaky season opener in Ft. Lauderdale.  All three pairings played well, keeping rebounds to a minimum.  Parker Wotherspoon was paired with Andrew Peeke, taking the place of Mason Lohrei. 

Check out: Hurley-Burly: Welcome Boston Hockey Now’s Newest Beat Writer

Hutson holds own on Habs blueline 

Former Boston University defenseman Lane Hutson was very impressive on the Montreal blueline.

No stranger playing on TD Garden ice, the tiny 5-foot-7, 162-pound defenseman utilized his slick skating with maximum efficiency, creating several scoring chances. He picked up his first two NHL points assisting on Montreal’s first two goals by Brendan Gallagher and Cole Caufield in the opening period.

“It’s pretty special and awesome to be back,” said Hutson, whose team was fresh off a 1-0 win over Toronto, 24 hours earlier. “Obviously you want a different outcome in the game, but it’s tough. It’s a back-to-back, not that it’s an excuse. I feel like it took us a bit to get our feet under us. But that’s the reality of the NHL. “

Hutson’s first NHL helper was a thing of beauty. The former Terrier trekked up the right side boards, as Bruin defenseman Charlie McAvoy delivered a big open ice hit on teammate Kirby Dach. Navigating around the mayhem, the rookie had plenty of room to roam.

“I just found some space,” said Hutson. “I slid the puck to Galley (Gallagher). He slid the puck back to me and I saw Army (Joel Armia) wide open on the far side. He made a great play back to Galley to finish it.”

By his estimation, this was Hutson’s fifth or sixth time playing at TD Garden, including several Beanpot and Hockey East playoffs. But it’s a different atmosphere when it comes to the NHL game.

“I’m just looking to build off of what we have here and keep learning,” said Hutson.

The Canadiens were without sniper Patrik Laine, who blew out his knee during an exhibition game. He is out indefinitely. 

Bruins line 

Pavel Zacha – Elias Lindholm – David Pastrnak 

Brad Marchand – Charlie Coyle – Morgan Geekie 

Riley Tufte – Trent Frederic – Justin Brazeau 

Johnny Beecher – Mark Kastelic – Cole Koepke 

Nikita Zadorov – Charlie McAvoy 

Hampus Lindholm – Brandon Carlo 

Parker Wotherspoon – Andrew Peeke 

Jeremy Swayman, Joonas Korpisalo 

Scratches:  Max Jones, Mason Lohrei 

FOLLOW CHRISTOPHER HURLEY ON 𝕏: @HURLEY_BURLY 

FOLLOW BOSTON HOCKEY NOW ON 𝕏 AND FACEBOOK 

BHN in your Inbox

Enter your email address to get all of our posts sent directly to your inbox.

Bruins Team and Cap Info

Link to Boston Bruins PuckPedia page