On a night that began with the Bruins honoring the ‘new blood, new beginnings’ era that kicked off in the late 80s, and with a playoff series victory over the Canadiens in 1988, it was only fitting that the Bruins absolutely pummeled the Canadiens for a season-high nine goals in what was a true throwback performance.

(In fact, the Bruins actually challenged for 10 goals in this one, and had they reached that mark, it would’ve been the first time they hit the double-digit mark for goals since, you guessed it, 1988.)

All in all, it was an effort that saw 16 different B’s skaters hit the score sheet with at least one point (Matt Poitras and Derek Forbort were the only two players to post a 0-0-0 line), and saw yet another huge stride forward for a Black and Gold squad that’s been the highest-scoring club in the NHL since coming out of the Christmas break.

• In addition to Boston’s nine goals being a new season-high, it also marked the first time that the Bruins scored nine goals in a game since a Jan. 5, 2012 win over the Flames. It marked just the second time that the Bruins have scored nine goals in a single game in the post-2005 National Hockey League era.

  And with the win, the Bruins have now won 13 of their last 14 head-to-heads with Montreal, and have won seven straight home showdowns against the Canadiens dating back to Dec. 2019.

  Here are the 98.5 The Sports Hub (dot com) 3 Stars from a big win over the Habs…

• No. 3 Star: Charlie McAvoy

  

  BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 28: Charlie McAvoy #73 of the Boston Bruins skates against the Detroit Red Wings during the first period at TD Garden on October 28, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

• Statistically speaking, Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy didn’t exactly torch the scoresheet despite the nine-goal outing from his club.

  McAvoy instead finished this game with just one assist (and it was a secondary helper at that) in a hair over 25 minutes of time on ice.

  But from a territorial standpoint, McAvoy’s fingerprints were all over this one, as he finished with a team-best plus-4 rating over that 25-minute sample. And beyond the raw data of the plus-4 rating, the Bruins also out-attempted the Canadiens 21-12 in 21:15 of play with McAvoy on the ice at five-on-five, held a 15-7 on-ice edge in shots, and outscored the Habs 5-1.

  That was pure domination from McAvoy, really.

• No. 2 Star: Jake DeBrusk

  

  BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – NOVEMBER 02: Jake DeBrusk #74 of the Boston Bruins celebrates after scoring against Ilya Samsonov #35 of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the shootout at TD Garden on November 02, 2023. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

• The midseason heat-up continues for Bruins winger Jake DeBrusk.

  On the board with a goal and an assist, DeBrusk is now up to seven goals and 13 points over his last 13 games.

  His goal was a classic DeBrusk goal, too, as DeBrusk drove to a high-danger area and found the perfect bounce needed to break through the Montreal goal line for what was an excellent response goal from the Bruins just 3:10 after the Canadiens recaptured the lead.

  Jake DeBrusk goes to the bank.
  
  That's now 7 goals and 12 points in the last 13 games for DeBrusk. pic.twitter.com/Wa3Lh56Qov

  — Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) January 21, 2024

  But DeBrusk wasn’t done, and in a night that saw him impact the game at both ends of the rink (he had a few nifty defensive-zone plays and clears to get the puck out of danger or regain possession for Boston), DeBrusk ended his night with an excellent dish to Pavel Zacha for what was the 100th goal of Zacha’s NHL career.

  A slick feed from Jake DeBrusk sets up Pavel Zacha's 100th career goal.
  
  8-4 Bruins. pic.twitter.com/7ONvet2Sf2

  — Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) January 21, 2024

• No. 1 Star: Danton Heinen

  

  Jan 20, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Danton Heinen (43) reacts after scoring a goal against the Montreal Canadiens during the third period at the TD Garden. (Brian Fluharty/USA TODAY Sports)

• When the Bruins took the ice for Friday’s practice at Warrior Ice Arena, Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery made it a point to seek out Danton Heinen.

  The Bruins were in the midst of a three-game winning streak, and had grabbed 15 of a possible 20 points since the conclusion of the Christmas break, but Heinen found himself in the middle of an eight-game goalless drought. But Montgomery made it a point to tell Heinen to continue to go to the high-danger areas of the rink (the Bruins’ internal analytics noted that Heinen had generated the fifth-most scoring chances this season).

  Heinen did exactly that Saturday night, and was finally rewarded for his efforts. Three times, in fact, as Heinen came through with his first career hat trick in the blowout victory.

  DANTON HEINEN FIRST CAREER HAT TRICK!!! pic.twitter.com/vPsGzXIbGl

  — Marina Maher (@marinakmaher) January 21, 2024

  (How about the Bruins not only putting Heinen out there for a late-game power play knowing that he needed just one goal for the hat trick, and how about the Bruins making it a point to feed him for the chance?)

  For Heinen, the three-goal outing continued what’s been a strong push for the 28-year-old being the value add of the season, with eight goals and 17 points through 37 games this season.

  The Bruins have also outscored opponents 26-14 in Heinen’s even-strength sample of over 470 minutes, with Heinen having a direct hand in 16 of those 26 goals with either a goal or assist.

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