Bruins beat Jets 4-1; extend winning streak to five
Winnipeg's last regulation loss was Jan. 13 vs Flyers
The Atlantic Division-leading Boston Bruins and Central Division-leading Winnipeg Jets faced off at TD Garden Monday night. The B’s sent the Jets packing with a 4-1 loss.
The highly-anticipated matchup was backed by goals from Jakub Lauko, Charlie Coyle, Jake DeBrusk, and Brad Marchand. Vladislav Namestnikov scored the lone goal for the Jets.
“We knew the challenge that was ahead of us,” Coyle said postgame to the media. “You remember the last time we played these guys…it leaves a bad taste in your mouth and we want to show them what we’re capable of, the way we’re playing, and what we can do.”
Lauko opened up the scoring at 2:20 of the first period with a wrist shot off assists from Trent Frederic and Morgan Geekie. Namestnikov tied with game with a tip-in shortly after at 4:16. Coyle padded the lead toward the end of the period with a tip-in at 18:26.
The second period was scoreless for both teams.
The Jets came out hot in the third period, but Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman was on top of his game. He made 11 out of his 20 saves in the third period and improved to 15-3-7 between the pipes.
“We just want to close out games here, especially at home, and that’s Bruins hockey,” Swayman told reporters postgame. “Third is our best, always, when we step out on the ice. We were looking forward to it…it’s a confident group going into the third right now, so we are going to continue that.”
Boston added two more goals in the third. Jake DeBrusk had a short-handed goal at 14:35 and Brad Marchand scored an empty-netter at 19:05.
The Jets have been one of the NHL’s best defensive teams as of late, but Marchand’s goal ended their 34-game streak of allowing no more than three goals in a game.
“You make anybody defend enough in their own end, they’re gonna make mistakes,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery told reporters. “I was really impressed with their battle level, their compete level…we didn’t have a lot of great chances, but we did have O-zone possession time that was significantly higher than theirs.”
The B’s were able to extend their point streak to nine games and improved to 6-0-3 in that time.
Boston will finish out their five-game homestand Wednesday versus the Carolina Hurricanes. The Canes are third in the Metropolitan Division and sit at 25-15-5 overall.
Wednesday night will be the first time the teams will meet this season. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m.
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