The Bruins may have entered Thursday’s game with three straight losses to their name (their first stretch of back-to-back-to-back regulation losses since Apr. 2022), but it was far from time to panic with Jim Montgomery’s club.

After all, the Bruins were getting the ‘get right’ games of all get right games with a visit from David Quinn’s Sharks.

Entering Thursday night, San Jose ranked dead last in wins, points, goals per game, and goals against per game. Had the Bruins lost this game, then it would’ve time to wonder just what the hell was going on with the B’s, I’ll admit.

But instead, and with a little help by way of some line and pairing tinkering from Montgomery, the Bruins got themselves back to their basics with a 3-0 victory over the Sharks at TD Garden.

• Of course, it wasn’t the blitzing that you may have expected given the talent contrast between these teams, as well as the B’s desire to wash a horrendous taste out of their mouth. But after a scoreless frame, the Bruins busted things open with a pair of goals in what was a dominant 18-shot second-period performance, and found the insurance marker (not sure they needed it against this offense) in the third period.

  And with the victory, the Bruins extended their win streak over the Sharks to a whopping 13 straight, which has officially tied them with Minnesota’s 13-game win streak over the Ducks for the longest active win streak over one franchise in the National Hockey League.

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

• No. 3 Star: Danton Heinen

  

  BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – NOVEMBER 09: Danton Heinen #43 of the Boston Bruins looks on during the game against the New York Islanders during the first period at TD Garden on November 09, 2023. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

• One of the beneficiaries of Montgomery’s latest line shake-up, Danton Heinen moved up to the Boston lineup and skated as a top-six right winger with Brad Marchand and Matt Poitras. And Heinen rewarded his coach’s faith with the game’s first goal of the evening, and off a slick dish from Poitras early in the second period.

  Top-six winger Danton Heinen opens the scoring for the Bruins.
  
  Matt Poitras with the set-up.
  
  1-0 Boston. pic.twitter.com/u72haA3eJY

  — Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) December 1, 2023

  The goal was Heinen’s third tally of the season, and good for his seventh point of the season through 14 games. Heinen has also recorded a point in five of his last six outings, and has been an immensely valuable ‘Swiss army knife’ type of player for a lineup that doesn’t have much certainty when it comes to where guys are slotted.

  “Danton Heinen’s a real good hockey player,” Montgomery said after the win. “He’s playing real good hockey for us, he’s making plays all over the ice, [and] he’s making those around him better.”

  Not bad for a league-minimum signing, all things considered.

• No. 2 Star: Jeremy Swayman

  

  BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – NOVEMBER 30: Jeremy Swayman #1 of the Boston Bruins and Linus Ullmark #35 celebrate after the Bruins defeat the San Jose Sharks 3-0 at TD Garden on November 30, 2023. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

• Not exactly the craziest shutout you’ll see a goalie earn this season, I’ll admit, but Jeremy Swayman did his job and ‘rebounded’ from an early hook Monday night in Columbus with a perfect 26-for-26 effort.

  And really, that’s all you wanted to see given Swayman’s struggles of late (Swayman came into this game with an .887 save percentage over his last five outings).

  🎥 Jeremy Swayman on bouncing back with a shutout: "That’s exactly what I wanted to do, make sure I’m keeping the puck out of the net. It feels good, but at the same time, plenty to work on still. You want to use this as a momentum piece moving forward." pic.twitter.com/ZFH976IBHF

  — Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) December 1, 2023

  The shutout was Swayman’s second of the season (and his first since an Oct. 24 donut in Chicago), and the 11th of his career. And the shutout came in the 100th game of Swayman’s NHL career.

• No. 1 Star: Pavel Zacha

  

  Nov 30, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins center Pavel Zacha (18) shoot the puck on San Jose Sharks goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood (29) during the third period at TD Garden. (Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports)

• Man, oh man, was this a solid game from Pavel Zacha.

  Skating between Jake DeBrusk and David Pastrnak, Zacha seemingly had one of his more efficient games of the season, which included a helper on the Jake DeBrusk goal that made it 2-0 in the second period, along with the aforementioned insurance marker on the power play scored in the third frame.

  Pasta & Pavs made it look pretty. pic.twitter.com/dzt9P0WHDM

  — Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) December 1, 2023

  This really felt like one of those games where Zacha and Pastrnak were cooking in the neutral zone, and really used their timing to catch the Sharks flat-footed again and again.

  In addition to the points, Zacha also won nine of his 15 faceoffs, had a strong contribution in an extended 3-on-5 in the third period, and is now up to eight points and 18 points through 22 games this season.

• 

  Nov 30, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Bruins center Pavel Zacha (18) celebrates his goal with center Charlie Coyle (13) and defenseman Charlie McAvoy (73) during the third period against the San Jose Sharks. (Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports)

• (Subscribe to the Sports Hub Underground podcast.)

  We are back on the Sports Hub Underground podcast, and we’ve got plenty to get to after three weeks away, with a lot of things happening on and off the ice for the Boston Bruins.

  ---

  Full Rundown…

  (0:50) Opening banter on cereal, fast food, and NHL hockey.

  (16:47) Jumping around on the biggest talking points around the Boston Bruins, particularly their recent slump.

  (30:47) The guys are getting sick of the Bruins’ lack of standing up for each other when their teammates are being targeted.

  (49:10) Circling back on the Bruins’ goaltenders and their recent performance, especially since all the trade debates.

  (1:05:14) Mason Lohrei has been sent down to Providence, and the guys discuss the reasons behind it.

  (1:20:45) Is Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery tinkering with his lineups too much?

  (1:32:28) The guys draft their “Big 3” pieces of Christmas entertainment.

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