BSJ Game Report: Bruins 7, Rangers 4 - Bergeron’s hat trick highlights top-line clinic against New York

Everything you need to know from the Bruins’ 7-4 win over the Rangers in quickie form, with BSJ insight and analysis…

Box Score

TOP TAKEAWAYS

Don’t let the final score fool you: Sure, the Rangers managed to beat Jaroslav Halak twice in the span of 21 seconds in the waning minutes of this contest. But don’t let a few garbage-time goals distract you from what was a thorough thrashing of the Rangers by a B’s club on the second leg of a back-to-back slate. 

While the Rangers’ first shot of the game sailed past Halak at 10:19 in the first, Boston controlled the pace of the game from the opening puck drop — landing the first 10 shots of the game against Henrik Lundqvist. And after Micheal Haley lit the lamp, the Bruins promptly outshot the Blueshirts, 21-5, in the second period en route to a four-goal outburst. 

The Rangers are going to be hanging around the cellar of the Eastern Conference for most of the year, but for this B’s team to dominate them so thoroughly less than 24 hours after a physical, emotional win over the Blues was an impressive feat.

B’s top line dominates: We’ve gotten used to Boston’s top line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak imposing their will against the opposition, but Sunday’s showing had to be particularly demoralizing if you’re the Rangers. David Quinn’s club simply had no answers for that trio, which combined for five goals and an absurd 13 total points in the victory — none of which came during 5v4 play.

Patrice Bergeron paced the pack with a hat trick — the fifth of his career — but that entire grouping was relentless at Madison Square Garden, with Marchand (2-3-5) and Pastrnak (0-5-5) becoming just the third set of B’s teammates in the last 30 years to post five-point games in the same contest. 

The other duos?

Joe Thornton and Glen Murray (Dec. 28, 2001)
Dmitri Khristich and Jason Allison (March 14, 1998)

The Bergeron line was far from the only group of skaters to stand out on Sunday, but with injuries continuing to mount for Boston, this trio is doing more than its fair share of heavy lifting for an 8-1-2 team.

FOUR UP: 

David Pastrnak: For the first time since October 12, Pastrnak did not score a goal. What a bum. Alright, he still managed to torment the Rangers on Sunday, with the winger putting together just the 13th instance ever in which a Bruins player collected five assists in a regular-season game — and the first since Bergeron on Dec. 12, 2006 against the Ottawa Senators. 

Brad Marchand: Marchand extended his point streak to a career-high 10 games with his five-point showing on Sunday, but the winger also made his mark outside of 5v5 play — replicating his efforts earlier this season against the Devils with a stretch of keep-away during a PK shift. It was the start of a long night for the Rangers.

Patrice Bergeron: His first and third goals came by way of an odd rebound and an empty netter, but Bergeron could have only lit the lamp once and still managed to leave a sizable impact on the win. Primarily matched up against Artemi Panarin for 9:13 of 5v5 TOI, the Bruins managed to hold an edge in 5v5 goals (2-0), shots on goal (4-3) and high-danger scoring chances (5-2) during that stretch when Bergeron was deployed.

Charlie Coyle: A good rebound performance from Coyle, who actually logged the most minutes of any B’s forward as Bruce Cassidy looked to give his top line some rest. Along with tallying his first goal of the year, Coyle’s set-up on Marchand’s second tally at 12:09 in the second was a thing of beauty. 

https://twitter.com/ConorRyan_93/status/1188615535170412545

TWO DOWN: 

Power play: The Rangers' penalty kill only ranks 18th overall in the NHL, but Boston's power play wasn't able to do much damage on the night — going 0-for-2 at MSG. The chances were still there, with Boston generating three high-danger scoring chances over that 4:00 of 5v4 play.

Par Lindholm: A tough break for the B's third-line center, as the Swede did not return for the start of the third period due to an upper-body injury. The B's are already in tough shape on the injury front, but a potential return for David Krejci on Tuesday could help Boston's pivot depth tremendously.

PLAY OF THE GAME: Brad Marchand, my goodness.

https://twitter.com/ConorRyan_93/status/1188608987106873344

PARTING THOUGHT: Brad Marchand, my goodness (again).

https://twitter.com/ConorRyan_93/status/1188596332539371520

LOOKING AHEAD: The Bruins will be back at TD Garden on Tuesday night, with the B’s set to welcome Joe Thornton and the Sharks to town. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.