The Montréal Canadiens (7-5-2) won 3-2 against the Boston Bruins (11-1-2) this Saturday with a tie-breaking goal in overtime.
The Canadiens met their Original Six rival Bruins for the first time this season at Bell Centre. The game marked the Canadiens’ first win against Boston since 2019, ending their 10-game losing streak against the Bruins.
The game started slow for Montréal, with Bruins’ Pavel Zacha scoring 36 seconds into the first period, putting his team in the lead at 1-0 throughout the first and second periods. The Canadiens stole the lead in the first minute of the third period with 2-1 after Nick Suzuki and Brendan Gallagher each scored a goal 27 seconds apart from each other.
“It was a great 60 minutes. We couldn’t score in the first two periods, but we just kept fighting,” Suzuki commented after the game. “They’re a really hot team with a lot of great players. It’s definitely satisfying that all the work you’re putting in gets rewarded … I think we deserved that win.”
Bruins’ Brad Marchand tied the game back at 2-2 after he got his hands on a loose puck following a 5-on-3 power play by the Bruins. Two minutes and thirteen seconds into overtime, Guhle ended the game by scoring a goal and securing the Canadiens’ win.
“It’s a group decision and a group effort to get back in a game and get something out of it,” said Canadiens coach Martin St Louis about his team’s win against the Bruins.
“You have to understand the way you need to carry yourself on the ice every game to give yourself the best chance of winning. It doesn’t guarantee a win, but you understand what is needed to be done with and without the puck.”
Montréal moved up to the fifth rank in the NHL’s Atlantic Division and fourteenth place in the League following the win, while Boston maintained its seat at the top rank in the Atlantic Division and second place in the League.
Leafs snap Canucks’ 5-game winning streak
The Vancouver Canucks brought a five-game win streak into their Saturday game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, coming into the game hot with 10-2-1. However, Vancouver failed to extend their streak to six wins after the Leafs downed them by 5-2.
The Canucks ended the first period with a lead of 2-1. They failed to maintain their lead as Maple Leafs’ William Nylander put the game in a 2-2 tie in the second period, extending his season-opening point streak to 15 games. Noah Gregor scored the winning goal 14 minutes into the second period, putting Toronto in a lead that lasted until the end of the game.
“Vancouver was coming in pretty hot, so this was a big game to build on,” Gregor said following the game. “Our line played with pace, speed and put pucks into areas where we could get it back.”
The Leafs extended their lead gap by 5-2, with a goal each from Nicholas Robertson and David Kampf during the third period.
“I thought we were slow in our breakouts,” Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet said, commenting on the game. He added that he felt they were “a bit sloppy.”
Following the game, the Leafs now rank third in the Atlantic Division and ninth in the League with 8-5-2, while the Canucks kept their second place in the Pacific Division, ranking fourth in the League with 10-3-1.