In the latest sign of all great things coming to an end, the Bruins saw what was a dominant run over the Canadiens come to an end Saturday night in Montreal, as an overtime goal from Kaiden Guhle sealed the deal on a 3-2 win for the Canadiens and snapped the Black and Gold’s 10-game win streak over their century-long rival.

It was Boston’s first loss to the Canadiens since Nov. 5, 2019.

But before Guhle sent the Bell Centre into a frenzy, it was a night that came with its share of frustration, headlined by an opening minute of the third period that saw Montreal’s Nick Suzuki and Brendan Gallagher strike for two goals within a 27-second stretch to give Montreal a 2-1 lead.

“I think the first minute of the third was a microcosm of the first two periods,” Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said after the loss. “We were lucky to be in the position we were, up 1-0.”

• On the board 36 into puck drop behind a Pavel Zacha tip through the Canadiens’ Sam Montembeault, the Bruins struggled to generate much against the Canadiens throughout much of the evening. It was shown in what was a mild, six-shot opening frame from Montgomery’s club, and things didn’t get much better in the second period, as the Bruins were outshot by an 11-7 mark in the middle frame.

  It was instead yet another night where the Bruins had to rely on their goaltending to save the day, and Jeremy Swayman certainly looked the part through 40 minutes, with 17 straight saves on as many shots.

  But when the Canadiens broke through, it was clear the Bruins were going to need more than Zacha, and they thought they got it when Oskar Steen appeared to score his first goal of the campaign.

  A successful coach’s challenge from Marty St. Louis wiped that goal off the board due to goaltender interference, and after the Bruins flubbed their way through a 5-on-3 opportunity (a true rarity on Montreal ice), it was beginning to look like it would not be the B’s night. But with help from the skate of Brad Marchand, the Bruins knotted things up with 7:02 remaining in regulation, and forced an overtime.

• Brad Marchand ties things up on the power play.
  
  2-2 game. pic.twitter.com/jCfceLG5EH

  — Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) November 12, 2023

• The B’s dominated the puck out of the gate in the overtime session, too. But when they failed to capitalize on both their extended zone time and their looks on goal, you could sense danger coming. And indeed it came, with the game-winning goal off the stick of Guhle — and with what looked to be some help from a B’s stick on the way through — and with Swayman down and out for the game winner.

  The loss put an end to Swayman’s six-game undefeated run to begin the year, and snapped what was a 14-game win streak for the netminder dating back to the final stretch of last year’s regular season.

• 

  Nov 11, 2023; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Canadiens forward Jake Evans (71) plays the puck and Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy (73) and David Pastrnak (88) defend during the second period at the Bell Centre. (Eric Bolte/USA TODAY Sports)

• On the lineup front, the Bruins welcomed Charlie McAvoy back to action after the do-it-all defenseman missed the last four games due to a suspension. McAvoy finished with a team-leading 26:44 of time on ice, along with two assists and three shots on goal in the losing effort.

  The Bruins also welcomed forward Jakub Lauko back to the lineup. This was Lauko’s first game since suffering a facial fracture on a scary-looking skate to the face incident back on Oct. 24 in Chicago.

  With the loss, the Bruins dropped to 11-1-2 on the season, and will return to action Tuesday night in Buffalo.

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.