The Boston Bruins finished the best NHL regular season in the history of the league on Thursday night. David Pastrnak scored the game winning goal with nine minutes remaining in the third period, as Boston extended their win streak to eight games with a 5-4 come from behind victory over the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Center in Montreal. The win gives the Presidents Trophy winners a final regular season record of 65-12-5.
The game was tied 3-3 after two periods as Trent Frederic, Jake Debrusk, and Dmitry Orlov matched Montreal goals by Lucas Condotta, Nick Suzuki, and Michael Pezzetta. Justin Barron gave the Canadiens their third lead of the contest scoring shorthanded 1:09 into the third period. Charlie Coyle tied it for the Bruins unassisted at 8:48, before Pastrnak won it with his 61st tally on the season assisted by Orlov and Tyler Bertuzzi at the 11:00 mark. Pastrnak and Orlov both had a goal and an assist to lead the way, while Jeremy Swayman made 30 saves in net. Patrice Bergeron left the game due to precaution after the first period after suffering a mild upper body injury. Pezzetta had a goal and an assist in the loss for Montreal, and Rem Pitlick had two assists. Sam Montembeault had 16 stops in between the pipes for the Canadiens, as they end their season at 31-45-6.
Boston finishes a regular season that saw them not only take the Presidents Trophy, but also record the most wins (65) and the most points (135) in NHL history. The Bruins enter the postseason winners of eight straight games and 14 of their last 15. They went 34-4-3 at home and 31-8-2 on the road, with a goal differential of +128 (305-177). The Black and Gold will meet the Florida Panthers (42-32-8) in the opening round of the NHL Playoffs. This will only be the second meeting in the playoffs for the two clubs, with Florida winning the only other matchup in the first round in five games back in the 1995-96 season. The Panthers are one of only two teams to beat the Bruins twice in the 2022-23 regular season (2-1-0). Game one of the best of seven series will be Monday night at TD Garden.
Story by Chris Lessner
