BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – SEPTEMBER 23: David Pastrnak skates during the first period of the preseason game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on September 23, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
By Ty Anderson, 985TheSportsHub.com
If Saturday was any indication, the Bruins appear ready for the 2019-20 regular season.
Even if their 8-2 win in their preseason finale, which featured dueling hat tricks by B’s wingers Jake DeBrusk and David Pastrnak, came against what was really the Blackhawks’ AHL team.
The Bruins opened their offensive barrage with a sweet spinning backhand strike from DeBrusk at the 11:21 mark of the first period, and added their second goal just 32 seconds later with a Charlie Coyle breakaway strike.
????#CELLYSZN | @JDebrusk pic.twitter.com/fzwQFeFw3K
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) September 28, 2019
Boston wasn’t done in what turned out to be a highly-eventful first, though, as the team added power-play strikes on a DeBrusk tip and a Pastrnak bomb from the left circle to make it 4-0 through 20 minutes of action. It wasn’t close in any respect, in fact, as the B’s outshot the ‘Hawks 14-4. Chicago didn’t even land their first shot on night until the 11-minute mark.
The Bruins would add two more in the second period, as Pastrnak scored his second of the game at the 8:55 mark of the middle frame, while Karson Kuhlman scored his first goal of the preseason following a goal from Chicago’s Philipp Kurashev.
With the game by all means decided, the Bruins added a seventh goal by way of Pastrnak’s hat trick, secured just 62 seconds into the first period, and the B’s eighth goal of the afternoon, scored 13:44 into the third, gave DeBrusk a hat trick of his own.
Hat trick capped. ???? @pastrnak96 | #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/K0lPX4QDx1
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) September 28, 2019
Bruins center Patrice Bergeron, who was held out of the first five games of the preseason to manage his groin injury, suited up and finished with two shots and a plus-2 rating in 12:53 of time on ice.
Tuukka Rask played all 60 minutes, and stopped 19-of-21 in the winning effort.
With one final round of cuts looming, the Bruins are expected to have Sunday off before they begin their preparation for the start of the regular season, which begins with Thursday’s Opening Night in Dallas.