All you need to know, in quickie form, about the Bruins' win over the Flyers, complete with BSJ analysis and insight:
HEADLINES
Last Thursday, the Bruins hosted a team with seven straight victories coming into the game -- and it showed as the upstart Seattle Kraken stunned the B's with a shutout victory. The Philadelphia Flyers, similarly streaking, weren't nearly as lucky.
The Flyers, winners of seven of their last eight, were outplayed from start to finish by the Bruins, who posted a 6-0 shutout victory that was every bit as lopsided as the score suggests.
The Bruins got two goals each from David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha, while David Krejci, playing in his 1000th career game with the Bruins, added three assists. Jeremy Swayman stopped 29 shots to record his first shutout of the season and sixth of his career.
The B's, owners of the NHL's best record, came out with some energy in the holiday matinee matchup and led 2-0 after the first period. Boston produced two more goals in the second and two more in the third, and in the final 10 minutes, the only goal was to preserve Swayman's shutout.
The Bruins chased Philadelphia's starting goaltender, Carter Hart, about midway through the game. But things didn't get any better for the Flyers the rest of the way, as his replacement, Samuel Ersson, was also beaten three times the rest of the way.
Second line delivers: While most of the attention was rightly focused on Krejci and his historic day, his linemates were the ones doing the scoring. Zacha's breakout game -- he had just five goals coming in -- stood out, because the Bruins have been urging him to shoot more. He did on this day, especially on his first goal when he ripped a one-timer from the top of the faceoff circle -- a move his more prolific linemate long ago patented.
"You hope,'' said B's coach Jim Montgomery, "that (a game like this) gives him more of a 'shoot-first' mentality, more often.''
Pastrnak, not to be outdone, had himself a one-timer and also finished off a nifty goalmouth feed for Boston's first score.
Perhaps fittingly, the unsung Krejci couldn't crack the goal-scoring column, but in accordance with his playmaking ability, set up half of the Bruins' goals.
In all, the Bruins' second line combined for four goals and a total of nine points and were a combined plus-11 for the afternoon.
THREE UP
David Pastrnak: The goals keep coming for the explosive winger, who potted two in the win -- the first goal of the game, and a power play strike in the third period. He now has 35 for the season, good for second in the league, and 10 in his last six games.
Pavel Zacha: Signed to a contract extension over the weekend, Zacha made the Bruins investment look smart with two goals of his own, to go alone with an assist for a three-point afternoon.
Jeremy Swayman: Since his teammates dominated the visitors from the drop of the puck, Swayman wasn't tested very often, but he made some big stops when challenged and came away with his first shutout of the season.
TWO DOWN
Craig Smith: Bumped up to the top line for the afternoon, Smith didn't exactly take advantage of the opportunity in playing with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, failing to get a shot on net in 10:11 of ice time.
Patrice Bergeron: Though he had a monster day on faceoffs (16-2), Bergeron wasn't at his best otherwise and his high-sticking penalty in the third -- inadvertent as it may have been -- left the Bruins shorthanded for four minutes.
KEY PLAY OF THE GAME
David Pastrnak's second goal of the afternoon, with the Bruins on the man advantage, effectively put the game away, making it 5-0 Boston.
That's 35 for 8️⃣8️⃣@pastrnak96 | #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/42tnt0sLVq
— NESN (@NESN) January 16, 2023
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"The guys in front of me make my job easy.'' Jeremy Swayman, who posted his first shutout of the season.
NEXT
The Bruins embark on a two-game road trip to the New York area, with a match against the Islander Wednesday night, beginning at 7:30 p.m. They then remain in New York and meet the Rangers Thursday night at 7 p.m.