By: Tom Calautti | Follow me on Twitter/X @TCalauttis
Newcomer Lukas Reichel notched a goal and an assist, and Jeremy Swayman made 23 saves as the Boston Bruins got back in the win column Thursday night. Six different players lit the lamp and the Black and Gold cruised to a 6-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets.
“I thought the guys did a really good job today,” said head coach Marco Sturm following the victory. (We) played our game, scored six goals on (one of the) best goalies in the league. It’s not easy, so the guys did a good job.”
The newly reunited ‘kid line’ of David Pastrnak, Marat Khusnutdinov, and Fraser Minten got the scoring started with just over five minutes remaining in the first. Pastrnak knocked a backhanded clear out of mid-air, then waited out Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck before sliding the puck five-hole to give Boston the lead.
The B’s put their foot on the gas in the second period, and it was none other than newcomer Lukas Reichel who led the charge. The former first-round pick capitalized on a misplay by Hellebuyck on a Jonathan Aspirot dump-in and smacked a puck into an empty net to give Boston a 2-0 lead.
Sturm slotted Reichel in on the third line alongside Elias Lindholm and Morgan Geekie, hoping that the young speedster could provide a spark to the slumping forwards. That trio finished the night with two goals, and Reichel ended the game with a goal, an assist, and a plus-two rating.
“(That line) had a few good rushes just because of (Reichel’s speed). They had some good breakouts just because of it,” said Sturm. “I think that was the goal, bringing (Reichel) in today to drive (Lindholm and Geekie), you know, so you can push them a little bit more forward.”
The Bruins would go up 3-0 with just under two minutes remaining in the second period on one of the more bizarre goals you’ll see this season. All three of Casey Mittelstadt, Pavel Zacha, and Viktor Arvidsson were surrounding a puck to the right of Hellebuyck. After a dogged stick-checking flurry, the puck squirted into the air and fluttered past Winnipeg’s netminder for a 3-2 lead.
The goal was credited to Arvidsson, but both he and Zacha said postgame that they didn’t know who scored until the goal was announced over the loudspeaker. That trio combined for two goals in last night’s contest and has now posted 14-21-35 in their last 12 games.
“I think we have fun together. We talk about stuff and joke about stuff on the bench, too. And I think that’s the most important thing,” said Arvidsson of his linemates. “That creates chemistry. I think we’re just really connected, and we know where each other are and what the other guy likes to do. It’s just a really good mix of speed, playmaking skills, and people going to the net, too.”
Boston went into the third period with a commanding three-goal lead, and would add three more tallies en route to a convincing 6-1 victory. Zacha, Minten, and Aspirot registered the third-period tallies, and the Bruins earned a much-needed regulation win at TD Garden.
They now head to Detroit on Saturday for what’s arguably their most important game of the season as they take on the Red Wings. The winner of that game will have sole possession of the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference and a leg up as the teams head down the stretch.
Game Notes:
- Pavel Zacha now has 8-6-14 since the Olympic break.
- After a couple of rough outings, both Charlie McAvoy and Jonathan Aspirot finished the game with plus-four ratings.
- Arvidsson has assists in four straight games.
- Morgan Geekie registered his first point since March 8.
- The Khustnutdinov-Minten-Pastrnak line has four goals in their last three games.
- Five different Bruins posted a goal and an assist on the night.
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