Bruins beat Canadiens 4-2 behind Swayman’s 29 saves, Pastrnak’s 49th goal

The Boston Bruins finished better than the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night, scoring a 4-2 win at TD Garden despite being out-shot 31-21 and going 0-for-5 on the power play. Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman stopped 29 of 31 Montreal shots and allowed zero even-strength goals on the night.

Trade deadline addition Tyler Bertuzzi got the proverbial monkey off his back to open the scoring, finally netting his first goal as a Bruin after nine games and 21 shots without one. Fittingly, the goal came as Bertuzzi fired the puck toward the net just to see what happens. He got the bounce he needed.

• BERT'S ON THE BOARD! pic.twitter.com/8Ba8pMw7pr

  — x - Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) March 23, 2023

• Just over nine minutes later, Jake DeBrusk scored to make it 2-0. DeBrusk scored the same way he has often in recent games, by getting his feet moving.

  First, DeBrusk took a Connor Clifton pass in the neutral zone then turned on the jets, causing two Habs defenders to collide in the process. He then finished on the resulting breakaway with a confident wrister to the top corner.

• Cleared the runway. pic.twitter.com/gVS2W61p8M

  — x - Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) March 23, 2023

• The Bruins ended up heading to the first intermission only up one, though, after an A.J. Greer penalty proved costly. Greer cross-checked the Habs’ Mike Hoffman up high between whistles, after the two engaged in some standard hockey jawing and needling. Greer’s reaction was ill-advised, running his stick up high enough to cut Hoffman open. It earned him a five-minute major and game misconduct, which put Montreal on the power play.

  Nick Suzuki finished a cross-ice pass for the one-timer and the power play goal to make it 2-1 with just 19 seconds left in the period.

• AJ Greer gets a 5-minute and a game misconduct for this crosscheck to the face of Mike Hoffman. pic.twitter.com/wMTnqppvK6

  — Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 23, 2023

• Bim, BAM 💥#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/NgGiRcQUrU

  — Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) March 23, 2023

• However, after a quick early surge from the Canadiens, David Pastrnak put the Bruins back up by two. Seeming to get a spark off a great save by Jeremy Swayman and a scuffle at the other end, the Bruins found their way back into the Montreal zone.

  Pastrnak ultimately finished a one-timer off a pass from Bertuzzi for his 49th goal of the season, a new career-high in a single season, and the 289th of his career. The score moved him into a tie for eighth place on the Bruins’ all-time list with Ken Hodge.

• A NEW CAREER HIGH.
  
  4️⃣9️⃣ FOR 🍝 #NHLBruins | @pastrnak96 pic.twitter.com/9U25xvzGoh

  — x - Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) March 24, 2023

• The Canadiens made it 3-2 late in the second period off the stick of Kirby Dach, who was left alone on the doorstep to beat Swayman on another power play. But it was the Bruins who would score next, re-extending their lead to two more than halfway through the third period.

  David Krejci corralled the rebound off a point shot from Clifton, then got just enough on the backhand to flip it past Habs goalie Jake Allen and make it 4-2. The goal was Krejci’s 16th of the season, and 55th point in what’s been a fine comeback season for the 36-year-old.

• The Bruins will be off Friday, then get ready for a big Saturday matinée against the division rival Tampa Bay Lightning.

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  Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff and follow him on Instagram @realmattdolloff. Check out all of Matt’s content here.