Boston Bruins dominate rival Montreal Canadiens in 4-1 victory

The Boston Bruins were the superior team on Wednesday night showing how things have changed in the rivalry.

On Wednesday night the Boston Bruins yet again had another great outing as they continue to dominate the league. They easily defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-1 in a great overall effort.

It was a busy night at the TD Garden. Willie O’Reed was being honored for breaking the NHL’s color barrier with the Bruins 60 years ago. Also earlier in the day the Bruins announced that longtime anthem singer Rene Rancourt is retiring at the end of the season.

Rancourt is a Bruins legend in his own right. When he sang at the Garden he energized the crowd with his booming voice and intense fist pumps. He was one of my favorite parts of going to a Bruins game. His rendition of the anthem after the Marathon bombings, where the crowd took over left no one with dry eyes.

With all of this going on you may have even forgotten that Claude Julien was coaching his first game at the Garden since he became the coach of the Montreal Canadiens. Julien may not be liked by some due to the style of play he preaches and his reluctance to play young players, but he was able to help get the Bruins a Stanley Cup. So deservingly so he got a nice video tribute during a break in the action.

Now to the game

It wasn’t the best of starts for the Bruins as they went down 1-0 30 seconds into the game. A puck deflected off Zdeno Chara and there was nothing Tuukka Rask could do to stop it. That goal ended up being all luck as it was the only one the Canadiens scored.

Around 6 minutes later the Bruins were able to tie the game. Once again the Bruins first line showed how dominant they are. Brad Marchand made a great pass from his knees to Patrice Bergeron, and then Bergeron rifle a pass to David Pastrnak who put it home for his 18th goal of the season.

Once again the first line makes me feel like there is no other line I would rather have. They seem to be getting better and better each game.

Then in the second period the Bruins took over. With just over two minutes into the period Ryan Spooner scored his 6th goal of the season to put the Bruins up 2-1. Spooner dangled his way through the Canadiens zone and his backhand shot went off a Canadiens player and into the net.

There was also a pivotal moment in the period when the Bruins had to deal with being short two men. Rask made some impressive stops, Chara played an insane amount of minutes, and Torey Krug gave us one of the greatest video clips in the history of the hockey world.

Finally, the Bruins dominated the shot column. After outshooting the Canadiens 12-6 in the first period, they outshot the Canadiens 13-7. The Bruins ended up outshooting the Canadiens 33-22.

And that’s all she wrote

More from Chowder and Champions

• 3 Midseason Chaim Bloom Decisions That Have Killed the 2023 Red Sox
• 10 Patriots Who Will Be Cut by Tuesday’s Roster Deadline
• MLB Screws Red Sox Fans With Broadcast for Mookie Betts Return
• 3 Most Underpaid Celtics Heading Into the 2023 Season
• Red Sox Continue Rollercoaster Season With Massive Win

In the third period the Bruins put the final nail in the Canadiens coffin.  With the Bruins on the power play early in the third Marchand scored his 19th goal of the season. Krug was deep in the attacking zone and fanned on a pass, but Bergeron was close to him and fed a pass to Marchand. “Marchy” had a wide open net and the Bruins were up 3-1.

The Bruins dominated the period and David Krejci scored an empty net goal to end the night.

Tuukka Rask was impressive once again stopping 21 of 22 shots. He looked great between the pipes. Rask made some key saves with the Bruins on the penalty kill, and throughout the game. In his last 15 games Rask is 13-0-2 and now holds the longest point streak for a goaltender in the NHL this season.

It was also a solid return for Adam McQuaid. “Quaider” played 15 minutes and was able to contribute to the team right away. He has two hits and helped out on Spooner’s goal. McQuaid caused a turnover to start the play.

Next: Boston Bruins: Veteran center Riley Nash having best season of career

The Bruins extended their point streak to 14 games. They are back at it again tomorrow as they head to Brooklyn to play the New York Islanders.