By: Ryan Bosworth | @RyanJBosworth
The Boston Bruins continued their homestand earlier this afternoon as they took on the visiting New York Rangers in an Original Six matinee. Looking to build on their win over the Calgary Flames, the Bruins, who sit just outside the playoff picture, are trying to secure every point possible.
New York, despite coming into TD Garden on two straight losses, are trying to do the same. Jeremy Swayman started for Boston, and Jonathan Quick was in net for New York. The Bruins’ lineup was the same as it was against Calgary.
First Period
This period started off as strong as Boston could’ve wanted. They were hounding every loose puck, creating chances, and finishing their checks. The only negative to start the period? Mika Zibanejad opened the scoring just under 90 seconds into the game, and on their first shot of the game. This is a far too common trend for the Bruins this season.
The Bruins didn’t stay behind for long, as Marat Khusnutdinov, with his impressive speed, beats Braden Schneider along the boards, goes in on Quick all alone and ties the game at one apiece, just over a minute after the Rangers took the lead. Khusnutdinov’s goal was a momentum shifter, and the first frame would be taken in dominant fashion by Boston.
Adding another to their lead thanks to Pavel Zacha, who scored his 11th and 12th goals in the first period. Zacha send Will Borgen sliding thanks to an impressive fake, allowing him to go in all alone on Quick, beating him glove-side.
The third Bruins goal wouldn’t be determined a goal until the Rangers made it to their dressing room after the conclusion of the first. While it wasn’t initially called a goal, the officials reviewed it further and it was clear that the puck crossed the line. It was a net-front power play bid for Zacha, and his 12th of the season, putting the Bruins up 3-1.
Second Period
The Bruins didn’t skip a beat in the second period. Fraser Minten opened the scoring in the frame, scoring his 9th goal of the season and extending the Bruins’ lead to three goals.
Just four minutes later, the Bruins would add another tally. Marat Khusnutdinov has his second — marking the first multi-goal game of his career — and extending the Bruins’ lead to four goals. The two goals in today’s game were Marat’s sixth and seventh goals.
After the fourth goal, Rangers’ Vincent Trocheck was going in on a breakaway and was rewarded a penalty shot thanks to a slash from Jonathan Aspirot. Slowly making his way down the ice on the penalty shot, weaving across the slot, he attempts to put it blocker side, but it gets slapped away by Swayman’s right pad.
Shortly after, we got another Bruins milestone, and this time it was Pavel Zacha scoring his third goal of the game and marking his first career hat-trick. Despite the fans not realizing due to his whacky second goal, there were a few delay-hat throws, and a 6-1 Bruins’ lead.
The Rangers would get their first power play of the game, and captain J.T. Miller would capitalize, making it 6-2. Squeezing it past Jeremy Swayman’s skate while being taken down by a Bruins defender.
After potting six goals, the Bruins would run Rangers’ goaltender Jonathan Quick out of the building, as he was pulled in place of Spencer Martin. Quick allowed six goals on just 20 shots.
Charlie McAvoy would score the Bruins’ seventh of the game and fourth of the period. A cross-seam feed from Pastrnak that McAvoy tapped by Spencer Martin extended the B’s lead to five goals, and that’s how they’d finish the second frame of the day.
Third Period
The beatdown continued into the third period, with the Bruins putting up three final goals to put them to a total of ten goals scored, the most they scored since 1988. Marat Khusnutdinov had his third and fourth of the game, marking the Bruins second-first-career hat-trick of the game.
Fraser Minten would add his second, marking his second multi-goal game of his career, and his second in just ten games, as his first came on January 3rd in Vancouver, where he opened the scoring and would go on to seal the deal in overtime. Despite several bids and teammates trying to give him the opportunity to add a third and make it three first-career hat-tricks of the game, he was unable to prevail.
With the TD Garden crown chanting “we want ten,” the Bruins would hear that, and deliver. Marat Khusnutdinov, for the fourth time today, scores, giving the Bruins their tenth goal in the game for the first time since 1988.
Career highlights from up and down the roster in this one. Points from 12 different Bruins, a new career-high assist total for David Pastrnak, who also tied a franchise record, tied with Bobby Orr and Ken Hodge two first-career hat-tricks by Zacha and Khusnutdinov, and a highest single-game goal total that hasn’t been seen since 1988. Truly an impressive game from the Boston Bruins today. Jeremy Swayman was sturdy, stopping 27 of 29 shots faced.
With a quick turn-around, they’re now getting set for tomorrow’s 5 p.m. puck drop against the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins, for their third game in their five-game homestand and second of their back-to-back.
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