An eight-game point streak for the Bruins has come with plenty of heroes and high-quality wins alike.

From a nine-goal outing against the Canadiens to what was perhaps the best win of the season against the Avalanche last Thursday, and countless third-period lockdowns (a staple of their success a year ago), there’s been little for Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery to complain about when it comes to his team’s work ethic and results. And on Monday, that train kept on rolling, as the Bruins pushed that point streak to nine games (6-0-3) and toppled the Central-best Jets by a 4-1 final.

It was an effort that included a bit of revenge on the mind of the B’s skaters following last month’s head-to-head between these teams, which was dominated by the Jets in what finished as a 5-1 victory in their barn.

• “They embarrassed us the last time we were in Winnipeg,” Montgomery noted after the win. “We have a lot of proud guys that represent the Bruins for a long time in a real good way. I think the opportunity to get back at them was something that was motivating today. I think it’s just part of the culture here. We want to try to win or split every series against the West. It’s big. You’re always gaining points on somebody that way.”

  Boston’s victory, which was solidified by a Brad Marchand empty-net strike with 55 seconds remaining in the third period, also put an end to what was an impressive streak for Winnipeg, as it marked the first time in 35 games that the Jets had allowed more than three games in a contest.

  First time in 35 games Jets give up more than three, as Boston wins 4-1. Incredible accomplishment comes to an end

  — Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) January 23, 2024

  Here are the 98.5 The Sports Hub (dot com) 3 Stars from a win at TD Garden…

• No. 3 Star: Jakub Lauko

  

  Jan 22, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins center Jakub Lauko (94) is congratulated at the bench after scoring against the Winnipeg Jets during the first period at TD Garden. (Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports)

• The promotion to Boston’s third line has certainly paid off for Jakub Lauko and the Bruins.

  Skating in his third game to the left of Trent Frederic and Morgan Geekie, Lauko kicked off the scoring for the Bruins in this one with a first-period burial through Connor Hellebuyck at the 2:20 mark of the game. The goal came on what was a monstrous shift from the B’s new-look third line, and with Lauko making a pair of quick-hand, puck plays to keep the puck in the high-danger area of Winnipeg’s zone.

  Jakub Lauko scores his second goal in three games.
  
  Strong forechecking shift from this third line — along with a slick feed from Frederic.
  
  1-0 Bruins. pic.twitter.com/1MUj32FIkc

  — Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) January 23, 2024

  With the goal, Lauko also pushed his point streak up to three games, with two goals and a helper since Montgomery elevated him up to the third line last Thursday against the Avalanche.

  Another big play from Lauko in this one: With the Bruins clinging to their one-goal lead (and with the Jets making a strong push), Lauko was at the end of his shift but saw a 50-50 puck at the red line. He immediately jumped into the fray and got inside positioning on the puck, and helped draw a penalty. With under eight minutes to go in regulation, that penalty drawn by Lauko absolutely stalled the Jets’ momentum, even if the Bruins didn’t make ’em pay with what would’ve been a knockout punch of a power-play strike.

• No. 2 Star: Morgan Geekie

  

  Dec 19, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins center Morgan Geekie (39) during the third period against the Minnesota Wild at TD Garden. (Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports)

• It feels safe to say that Morgan Geekie has officially found his footing with his new team.

  And Monday was yet another step forward in that respect, with Geekie on the board with an assist, a plus-2 rating, and a team-high six hits in 13:55 of time on ice. (Geekie originally finished this game with two assists, but it appears that the scorers took one apple away from him in the final sheet.)

  But Geekie’s lone assist in this one was a big one, as he drove towards the net for the first of two shorthanded looks, with the second buried by the Bruins’ Jake DeBrusk for the dagger of a goal that made it a two-goal game late in the third period of action.

  Jake DeBrusk buries the shorthanded goal.
  
  He's now up to eight goals and 14 points in his last 14 games.
  
  3-1 Bruins. pic.twitter.com/FxBqvkadAz

  — Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) January 23, 2024

  Overall, Geekie is now up to 23 points on the year, and is just five away from matching his career-high set in what was a breakout season with the Kraken last season.

• No. 1 Star: Jeremy Swayman

  

  Jan 22, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) makes a point blank save on Winnipeg Jets left wing Nikolaj Ehlers (27) during the third period at TD Garden. (Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports)

• Through 40 minutes of action, Bruins netminder Jeremy Swayman was sitting pretty.

  Sure, he had to make a couple of splitting saves, including a left pad save made by what appeared to be the damn ankle of his pillows, but the Bruins had yet to surrender what classified as a ‘high-danger scoring chance’ and the Bruins limited the scoring chances to just 12 against over a 40-minute sample.

  Big stop by #NHLBruins Swayman on #GoJetsGo in final minute of play in 2nd. 2-1 @nhlbruins after 40. #WPGvsBOS pic.twitter.com/TF7HsMCrh5

  — PuckingOff™ (Jason Scales) (@PuckingOff) January 23, 2024

  But in the third, the Jets came out flying, and Swayman had to be (and was) on top of his game.

  Peppered for 11 shots in the third period (more than what he faced in the first two periods combined), Swayman turned aside all 11 shots, and had a pair of tremendous in-tight saves to the right of his goal.

  With the victory, Swayman has now rattled off victories in four straight, and has stopped all but six of the 107 shots he’s faced over that four-game sample (a .944 save percentage).

Sign me up for the 98.5 The Sports Hub email newsletter!

Get the latest Boston sports news and analysis, plus exclusive on-demand content and special giveaways from Boston's Home for Sports, 98.5 The Sports Hub.

First Name *

Last Name

Email *

Subscribe

By clicking "Subscribe" I agree to the website's terms of Service and Privacy Policy. I understand I can unsubscribe at any time.