Bruins sweep four-game homestand with 4-1 win over Penguins
By Ty Anderson, 985TheSportsHub.com
Powered by a pair of goals from captain Patrice Bergeron, the Bruins capped a perfect four-game homestand at TD Garden with a 4-1 final over Tristan Jarry and the Penguins.
Up by one in the middle period, it was a backhand finish from Bergeron that gave the B’s a two-goal edge through 40 minutes of action, while Bergeron’s power-play, one-time blast just 1:40 into the third iced this game for the Bruins.
Backhand magician.#NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/gNPFugRmuM
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) January 29, 2021
The goals were the 35-year-old Bergeron’s fourth and fifth of the season, and gave No. 37 four goals and six points in his first four home games as the team’s captain.
But while Bergeron’s markers served as the putaway strikes for the Bruins, this game was by all means won by the early pressure established by Boston’s fourth line. On the Penguins in the attacking zone from the jump, the game’s scoring opened by Chris Wagner’s first goal of the season before an Anders Bjork knucklepuck bounced off a Pittsburgh ass and then off Sean Kuraly’s body and into the Pittsburgh net for the Black and Gold’s second goal.
Whatever works.
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) January 29, 2021
2-1 Bruins. pic.twitter.com/v50yj2ipWj
This line also had its say on the penalty kill, as the Bruins once again dazzled while down a man, following up a perfect 6-for-6 shorthanded effort on Tuesday with a 3-for-3 showing in this contest.
In net, Jaroslav Halak stopped all but one of the 17 shots thrown his way for his second win of the campaign.
Halak’s lone blemish on night came with Cody Ceci’s goal scored at the 15:03 mark of the opening period.
Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk made his return to the Boston lineup after missing the previous two games with a lower-body injury, but left in the third period due to a lower-body injury.
Up front, utility forward Par Lindholm was called up from the B’s taxi squad to step in for the injured Jake DeBrusk and made his season debut on a line with Trent Frederic and Jack Studnicka.
With the victory, the Bruins pushed their home winning streak over the Pens to a staggering 10 games, with their last home loss to the Penguins coming all the way back in Nov. 2014.
The Bruins will travel to Washington for the start of a four-game road swing feature a two-game series in D.C. against the Capitals followed by a two-game set with the Flyers in Philadelphia.
