BOSTON — The Bruins bounced again from their season-opening loss to the Panthers in a giant manner on Thursday evening, treating house followers to an offensive present of their house opener. Boston bought a giant efficiency from its prime line in a 6-4 win over the Montreal Canadiens, which was solely outshined by the Bruins’ fourth line.
We’ll begin on the prime, as new prime centerman Elias Lindholm led the B’s first line in a dominant first two intervals. Lindholm was busy within the opening interval, helping on the primary purpose of the sport (an aggressive energy play snipe from Charlie McAvoy) earlier than scoring his first purpose in a Boston sweater.
With the sport tied 2-2, Lindholm redirected a shot by Nikita Zadorov (who was additionally making his house debut as a Bruin) with 1:38 left within the body to place Boston on prime. Zadorov was credited along with his second helper of the season on the play.
The highest line was at it once more early within the second interval, when Pavel Zacha served up a fantastic feed to David Pastrnak within the slot for a one-timer. Pasta completed the play with a dirty wrister to offer Boston a 4-2 edge.
Lindholm completed his first sport in entrance of his new Boston followers with a purpose and two assists. Pastrnak had a purpose on six pictures and an help, whereas Zacha had a helper to go together with two pictures. The road was aggressive and fast, and generated lots of visitors in entrance of the web.
“They have been good,” Boston head coach Jim Montgomery stated the Patrnak-Lindholm-Zacha line. “They have been good on the ability play. They have been good five-on-five. I assumed Lindholm, I feel he is beginning to get extra juice in his legs and we noticed him win much more battles. I feel the underappreciated a part of his sport is the little issues like successful battles and the issues he does to offer his teammates time and house.”
Lindholm was pleased with the highest line’s manufacturing, however total stated it was only a “first rate” evening from the group.
“First interval, that is the way in which we need to play,” Lindholm informed reporters after the win. “We have been taking part in very well and after that, the second interval we have been controlling the sport a bit. The third we sat again an excessive amount of, however total it was an honest sport from our aspect.”
Boston’s prime line was a bit higher than first rate on Thursday evening, however the crew’s fourth line could have even higher. Mark Kastelic tallied a pair of objectives, Cole Koepke scored one to go together with two assists, and Johnny Beecher had a helper as the road gathered six factors. The trio additionally set the tone with their physicality, delivering seven hits.
It was Kastelic who knotted issues up after the Canadiens had taken a 2-1 lead within the first, because of a dominant and heavy shift from the fourth line. It that ended with the middle beating Cayden Primeau prime shelf to make it a 2-2 sport.
After Lindholm and Pastrnak did their factor, Koepke bought in on the scoring enjoyable along with his first purpose as a Bruin, burying a rebound to make it a 5-2 Boston lead. The fourth line got here by means of once more after Montreal lower it to a 5-4 sport with 4:17 left within the sport, when Kastelic’s move to Beecher deflected off a Canadien and into the web to offer Boston a 6-4 cushion. That got here after Koepke took a success to get the puck into the offensive zone.
“They have been unbelievable,” Lindholm stated of the fourth line. “They performed very well final sport too and created lots of power. They’re lots of large our bodies which can be powerful to play in opposition to.
“They have been our greatest line tonight,” added Lindholm.
Montgomery stated the contributions and taking part in model of his fourth line have been “big” on Thursday evening.
“Kastelic scored [47 goals one season] in junior hockey, so it is one thing that he can do. And it was simply good to see how onerous they went to the web,” stated Montgomery. “Just like the Koepke purpose, that is Johnny Beecher taking it onerous to the web. And Kastelic’s first purpose, Koepke initially took the puck onerous to the web, which created that offensive zone time.”
Montgomery desires to see extra of that onerous play from everybody on the roster.
“It is one thing that we really feel that, with the pace and the dimensions of our crew, that we need to do extra of,” stated Montgomery. “It isn’t straightforward to do, however that was a great signal.”
The Bruins have been removed from good on Thursday evening, as their protection — which was speculated to be the crew’s energy this season — left rather a lot to be desired for a second straight sport to start out the 2024-25 marketing campaign. However the Boston offense confirmed huge enhancements from Opening Night time, and helped erase that bitter style leftover the crew’s go to to Florida on Tuesday.