East Coast, West Coast. Indoors, outdoors. It doesn’t matter, the third-period Bruins arrive all the same.
In Los Angeles for the start of a three-game tour of California, the Bruins kicked things off with two more points in the bank by way of a third-period demolition that saw the Bruins score three unanswered goals on the Kings.
The 3-0 scoring edge in the final frame pushed Boston’s third-period scoring differential up to plus-34 on the season, which is 10 goals better than the Stars, who have a plus-24 third-period differential in 2022-23.
With the win, the Bruins improved their point streak to 12 games by way of a 9-0-3 record since Dec. 11. They also became the first NHL team to reach the 30-win mark this season, and became just the third team in NHL history to reach that in 38 games or fewer, joining the 1929-30 Bruins and 1944-45 Canadiens.
Here are the 98.5 The Sports Hub (dot com) 3 Stars of the game from a win in Hollywood…
No. 3 Star: Brandon Carlo
Dec 9, 2022; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo (25) skates with the puck against the Arizona Coyotes at Mullett Arena. (Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports)
A quietly excellent game for Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo.
Deployed for 19:08 of time on ice in the victory, Carlo finished Thursday’s contest with the primary helper on the game-winning helper, and the goal was really a product of what was a strong breakout pass by Carlo. The 6-foot-6 Carlo also chipped with two blocks and logged a team-high 1:15 of shorthanded time on ice in what was a successfully killing of the Brad Marchand penalty that if not killed would’ve put the Bruins in an 0-2 hole early in the second period of action.
And beyond the raw data, this was a night where the Black and Gold really benefitted from Carlo’s on-ice steadiness.
On the ice for 17:52 of five-on-five action, Carlo’s 56.25 corsi-for percentage was tied with Hampus Lindholm for tops among all Boston skaters. The Bruins also held a 10-4 shot advantage with Carlo on the ice, while the Bruins were outshot by a 24-10 mark at five-on-five with No. 25 on the bench. Carlo posted those numbers with an offensive-zone faceoff percentage of just 33 percent, meaning Carlo helped put in work to get the play going the other way.
No. 2 Star: Brad Marchand
Jan 5, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Kings defenseman Sean Durzi (50) and Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) battle for the puck along the boards at Crypto.com Arena. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports)
Referee Furman South woke a sleeping 5-foot-9 giant with his run-in with Brad Marchand.
Hit with a two-minute unsportsmanlike conduct minor for an absolute meltdown after the officials missed what was a clear-as-day trip on him, Marchand jumped back on the ice and went into takeover mode for two goals in about two and a half minutes of action.
Brad Marchand is ... not happy.
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) January 6, 2023
He gets whistled for unsportsmanlike conduct. pic.twitter.com/fRPgwb8gK0On the board with the primary helper on David Pastrnak’s goal, Marchand put himself on the board with a power-play bullet that beat Pheonix Copley mere seconds into the power play and left No. 63 smiling on the bench.
Playing through frustration and finding a way to be productive through it is nothing new for Marchand, of course, but to see come to the table almost immediately after he came out of box was what the Bruins needed in this game. Just looking at the scope of everything — no Jake DeBrusk, and the potential letdown factor of this game after the emotional high of the Winter Classic this past Monday — Marchand helping center the Bruins after his own penalty felt huge.
No. 1 Star: Trent Frederic
Jan 5, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Boston Bruins celebrate after a goal by center Trent Frederic (11) the third period against the Los Angeles Kings at Crypto.com Arena. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports)
Bruins forward Trent Frederic certainly earned his paycheck Thursday night in LA.
Enough to set a new single-season career-high in goals, anyway.
With the sides deadlocked at 2-2 midway through the third period of action, Frederic checked in with two goals in just 34 seconds, with the first coming on a sweet-looking tip through Pheonix Copley, and the second coming by way of a net-front deke around the Los Angeles netminder to put the B’s up by two in the blink of an eye.
The second goal put Frederic up to nine goals on the year, beating last year’s career-high of eight goals in 60 games, and in 25 fewer games. In fact, Frederic is currently paced for what would be a 20-goal season.
That’s something the 2016 first-round pick has accomplished just once in his entire ‘on-record’ hockey career, as Frederic scored 20 goals in 61 games for the 2015-16 U.S National U-18 team.
He was chucking knucks with those filthy mitts? 👊 pic.twitter.com/M5IclE4kQy
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) January 6, 2023Frederic also got to scratch a favorite itch of his, as he had a second-period scrap with Brendan Lemieux.
Frederic’s disdain for the ex-Ranger agitator is nothing new, as they’ve squared off multiple times since Frederic made the jump as a full-time NHLer in 2021. Frederic has done absolutely nothing to hide from his disdain for the son of Claude Lemieux, with Frederic previously admitting jealousy of his teammates when they’ve fought Lemieux, and with Frederic referring to Lemieux as “number 48” and nothing more in the past.
That remained the case Thursday night when NESN’s Sophia Jurksztowicz asked Frederic about the latest fight.
Frederic to Sophia on fighting Brendan Lemieux: "Can't say no to him. Not a big fan of him, so every chance I can, I try to [fight] him."
— Ty Anderson (@_TyAnderson) January 6, 2023Sports Hub Underground | Bruins and More with Ty Anderson
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Ty Anderson is a writer and columnist for 985TheSportsHub.com. He has been covering the Bruins since 2010, and has been a member of the Boston chapter of the PHWA since 2013. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Yell at him on Twitter: @_TyAnderson.