DeBrusk, Pastrnak tally hat tricks as Bruins close out preseason with rout over Chicago: 3 things we learned

The Bruins closed out their preseason with a record of 4-0-2 after dominating the Blackhawks, 8-2, Saturday afternoon at TD Garden.

Here are three takeaways from Saturday’s victory:

This was not a contest

You already really shouldn’t read too much into preseason hockey, but man, what a breeze this game turned out to be. With most of the regulars in the Blackhawks' lineup overseas in Germany for the NHL Global Series Challenge, Chicago essentially rolled out an AHL club for a preseason bout against a Bruins roster that featured most of its regulars.

Who could have predicted what happened next? 

Highlighted by a 4-0 salvo in the opening 20 minutes, the Bruins completely manhandled the Blackhawks — or the Rockford IceHogs, if we’re being honest — throughout the contest, holding a 61.43% shot share during 5v5 play.



David Pastrnak and Jake DeBrusk each led the way with a hat trick, while nine total players recorded at least one point in the victory. 

Barring injuries, most of the questions surrounding the Bruins’ lineup should have been answered already. But any lingering internal competitions — headlined by the roster battle between Anders Bjork and Brett Ritchie — were a bit skewed due to the lack of competition down the other side of the ice.

For what it’s worth, Bjork was still by far the more noticeable forward between the two — with the Notre Dame product using his wheels to bring the puck right to Kevin Lankinen’s doorstep during the first period. 

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However, given Cassidy’s comments postgame, it would look as though Bjork is still staring at a start in the AHL to open up his 2019-20 campaign. 

Not too much rust for No. 37

While it was to be expected for Patrice Bergeron to be a bit rusty out of the gate, Boston’s top-line center and his linemates in Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak looked awfully in-sync during No. 37’s preseason debut on Saturday.

Held out of game action for the first couple weeks of the preseason due to a lingering groin issue, Bergeron was every bit the line-driving, puck-possessing pivot that we’ve become accustomed to seeing.

The 63-37-88 line’s reps were a bit limited, especially with the contest quickly getting out of hand by the second period, but Boston still managed to hold a 6-0 edge in shots on goal and 2-0 advantage in 5v5 goals when the Bergeron line was out for a shift on Saturday. Postgame, Bergeron acknowledged that he will be good to go for Thursday’s season opener.

Ho hum, nothing to see here .

Coyle wraps up dominant preseason with suffocating performance

Thankfully for the Bruins, it doesn’t look like David Krejci is expected to miss the start of the regular season, per Cassidy. 

But even if Krejci was forced to sit out a game or two next week while nursing a lower-body injury, the Bruins would at least have a fantastic back-up plan in the form of Charlie Coyle — who has been far and away the top player on the roster this preseason. 

The Weymouth native was at it again on Saturday, tallying his first goal of the preseason off of an unassisted breakaway before adding a pair of helpers later in the contest. Whether it be Karson Kuhlman or Brett Ritchie to his right, Coyle anchored a dominant second line.

In the 11:06 of 5v5 TOI that Coyle and DeBrusk skated together, Boston held an absurd advantage in shots on goal (10-0), shot attempts (17-4) and goals (3-0). Against an AHL team, sure. But still impressive.

Regardless of the competition, Coyle seems primed for a monster season. 

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HIGHLIGHT

Take your pick: 

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LOWLIGHT

I understand that this Blackhawks team was ill-equipped to deal with a Bruins roster with plenty of NHL talent, but you have to know what’s coming on the power play, here, right? 

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LOOKING AHEAD

With the preseason now in the rearview, the Bruins will brace themselves for the start of the regular season — starting with Thursday’s road matchup against the Dallas Stars. Puck drop is set for 8:30 p.m.