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A now 16-game point streak for the Bruins, extended by way of a 4-1 victory over the Canadiens on Saturday night in Montreal, has reminded you how utterly impossible it can be to stop the members of Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-David Pastrnak line.
That’s just on their own, too. Never mind when together and in sync.
But as the face of this streak, with a combined 23 goals and 50 points in 15 games, the trio decided to once again put on a show, and combined for six points. This time with Pastrnak, who ranks third among the three in production over this stretch, taking the lead.
Trailing the Canadiens in the first period, the 21-year-old found a way to successfully turn nothing into something when he banked a puck off Carey Price and into the net for his 19th goal of the season. It was the kind of goal that happens when everything is going right (which is obviously the case for the Bruins), and one you allow when everything is going wrong (exactly like it has for the Canadiens seemingly all year).
It also reminded the Canadiens that No. 88 is dangerous from absolutely anywhere.
And that led to the B’s second goal of the night.
With their consistently stellar puck-possession game on display in the attacking zone, a Bergeron dish to Pastrnak forced the Canadiens to try and eliminate Pastrnak’s time and space. He responded with a pass to Torey Krug, and Krug completed the clinic with a simply fantastic blocker-side blast up and over Price, just 1:57 after their first goal.
Taking a lead into the third period, where they’ve been virtually unbeatable this season, the Bruins appeared to extend their lead to two when Bergeron connected on a feed from Marchand for the power-play dagger. But an offside review brought it back.
No sweat, that just meant more valuable ice for Pastrnak.
In need of that insurance goal to count, Pastrnak went with the simple possession play of an offensive zone wraparound pass back to the point and immediately drove back to the front of the net. With a shot on net, Pastrnak collected a rebound, put a chance on Price, and then hammered his own rebound home for the (real) third B’s goal.
Riley Nash finished things off with an empty-net goal, but with an assist from Marchand, meaning that the Black and Gold’s top line found a way to factor on all four tallies.
And shockingly, it all feels like no big deal.
It was Marchand that scored the shootout winner last week in Montreal and also recorded the power-play dagger on Wednesday when the Habs visited Boston, Bergeron that came through with a hat trick on Thursday in Brooklyn, and Pastrnak tonight.
It’s an absolutely impossible combination to stop, if only because all three players have the capability of taking any single game over, and with options behind them even if you’re able to do just that. (Few have proven capable of stopping them, by the way.)
And it’s crazy to think that we’ve hit the point where this -- with the trio now boasting a line featuring 25 goals and 56 points in the last 16 contests -- almost seems normal.
This and that
- Another solid night in the crease for Tuukka Rask, who finished with 24 saves on 24 shots, headlined by a massive third period stop on Logan Shaw that helped preserve Boston’s lead. The thing about Rask’s play is that it’s just so damn smooth when it’s on that you almost don’t think he’s working hard, but he has been the absolute key to this streak. When you have capable goaltending keeping the opposition to two goals or fewer per night, you’re going to win more than you’ll lose.
- I honestly couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw stay-at-home defenseman Adam McQuaid activate for a chance between the circles. But this is how Bruce Cassidy has this team playing, and how his team’s defensemen are doing everything they can to prove their worth to the six-man rotation.
- Few random stats for you… The Bruins have now won five of their last six games in Montreal. This is the first time in franchise history that they’ve had a six-game segment in Montreal that’s come with five wins. And with tonight’s win, the Bruins have managed wins in five-straight games against the Canadiens. This is their third five-game winning streak against ‘em since 2008. They had just six such streaks in the first 84 years of this rivalry. The script has finally flipped in the B’s favor, it seems.
Up next
The Bruins will look to extend their point streak to 17 games Tuesday night against the Devils.
Ty Anderson is the Boston Bruins beat writer for WEEI.com, and has been covering the National Hockey League for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010. He can be heard on the Saturday Skate program on 93.7 WEEI (Boston), and has been part of the Boston Chapter of the PHWA since 2013. Contact him on Twitter or send him an email at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com.
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