Kirby Dach set the tone early, Jacob Fowler held the line with 30 saves, and the Montreal Canadiens rolled past the Boston Bruins 5-2 on Thursday night at TD Garden.
Montreal never let Boston settle in. Dach opened the scoring at 2:34 of the first period, finishing a setup from Arber Xhekaj and Alex Newhook. Josh Anderson followed at 8:36 to push the Canadiens ahead 2-0, and the pressure kept coming after the intermission.
Jake Evans made it 3-0 at 4:24 of the second period, then Cole Caufield added another at 8:14. Phillip Danault stretched the lead to 5-0 at 14:15, giving Montreal a commanding cushion before Boston finally answered.
Casey Mittelstadt got the Bruins on the board at 14:53 of the second period, then struck again just 53 seconds into the third to trim the deficit to 5-2. But that was as close as Boston would get.
Anderson finished with a goal and an assist, while Evans also posted a goal and an assist. Dach, Caufield and Danault each scored for Montreal, and Fowler stopped 30 of 32 shots.
For Boston, Mittelstadt scored twice and Elias Lindholm picked up two assists. Jeremy Swayman allowed five goals on 17 shots.
The Bruins outshot Montreal 32-31, but the Canadiens made their chances count. Montreal went 0 for 4 on the power play, and Boston finished 0 for 1.
With the win, the Canadiens improved to 12-3-4 and remained second in the Eastern Conference. The Bruins fell to 13-5-1 and sit fifth in the conference.
Montreal hosts the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Boston returns home to face the Minnesota Wild on the same night at 7:00 p.m. ET.
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
With James Hagens landing on injured reserve, the Bruins turned to Mikey Eyssimont for a short-term answer and got an immediate one. Boston recalled him from Providence with the kind of need that usually creates a temporary lineup patch, but head coach Marco Sturm pointed to Eyssimonts flexibility as a major reason for the move, the sort of trait that can keep a player in the conversation even after the injured regular is back.
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
The Bruins have put themselves in position to be active ahead of the trade deadline, with cap space and enough trade chips to make them a real player if they decide to chase high-end help. Around the league, several names are already floating into the conversation, from Dylan Larkin and Matvei Michkov to Nikita Kucherov, and Boston is doing what any contender should do at this stage: watching closely and weighing whether the market might open in a way that fits.
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 🡒]