The Bruins walked into Thursday night with plenty of confidence and left with a sharp reminder that a fast start means nothing if you never seize control.
Boston had won eight of its first nine at TD Garden this season, but Montreal arrived looking every bit like a team that could push the pace in the Atlantic Division. The Canadiens entered at 7-0-3 in their last 10, and they backed up that form almost immediately, taking the game away before the Bruins could settle in.
Montreal made its point early in the first period. Kirby Dach started the scoring with a wraparound goal, and Josh Anderson followed by poking in a puck at the top of the slot to make it 2-0.
The Canadiens kept the approach simple: get pucks and bodies to the net, and let the chaos do the rest. It worked.
That early punch put the Bruins on the back foot, and the pressure only grew in the second period. Jeremy Swayman, in what looked like a strong goalie matchup on paper against Jacob Fowler, was pulled midway through the frame after Montreal added two more goals.
Jake Evans made it 3-0 on a breakaway, slipping the puck through Swayman’s legs, and then Cole Caufield buried his 11th goal in 12 games against him on another breakaway. Head coach Marco Sturm then turned to Michael DiPietro, more as a way to get him ready for Saturday night than as a true reset.
For Boston, this was the kind of home loss that forces a hard look in the mirror. The Bruins had already gone through one rough night at TD Garden, a 4-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators early last month, and Thursday served up another one.
Aside from a difficult two-game road trip against the Carolina Hurricanes and St. Louis Blues, things had been rolling for the Black and Gold.
Montreal changed that in a hurry.
The good news for Boston is that there will be more chances to answer. The Bruins and Canadiens still have three more meetings ahead, but this first one was one to toss aside quickly. Next up is Saturday night against the Minnesota Wild at TD Garden, with November shaping up as a home-heavy month for the Bruins.
In Other News...
Patrice Bergerons Hall Of Fame Honor Reopened A Bruins Debate
Patrice Bergerons Hockey Hall of Fame induction was always going to stir up a little nostalgia in Boston, but it also reopened one of the franchises favorite arguments: where does he belong in the Bruins all-time hierarchy? After 19 seasons in black and gold, Bergeron left behind a resume that includes 1,040 points and a reputation for two-way excellence that made him one of the defining players of his era.
Boston.com readers were quick to weigh in on the debate, and the responses showed just how hard it is to separate Bergeron from the names that came before him. The conversation centered on whether his combination of longevity, leadership and elite play puts him near the very top of the list, a discussion that says as much about Bruins history as it does about Bergeron himself. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins May Have Found More Than A Fill-In For James Hagens
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Eyssimont wasted little time making the call-up look worthwhile, scoring shortly after joining the lineup and giving Boston a useful jolt in a spot that suddenly needed one. The bigger question now is whether that quick impact turns into something more lasting while Hagens is out, especially with Eyssimont expected to keep a top-six role in the meantime. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Face A Trade Deadline Dilemma On High-End Young Talent
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One of the more intriguing situations involves Simon Edvinsson in Detroit, where interim GM Shawn Horcoff has acknowledged taking calls as contract uncertainty lingers. For Boston, the appeal is obvious because young, premium talent rarely becomes available, but the cost would be steep enough to force a hard internal debate about which of its own young pieces it would be willing to move. And if the Bruins decide to press on one of these bigger swings, the real question may not be whether the player is available, but how much of the future they are willing to sacrifice to get him. [Read more 🡒]