Bruins shuts out Montreal Canadiens with 4-0 win

A bit of the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens rivalry rekindled at the start of a 7:30 p.m. puck drop Sunday night at TD Garden, but the game tilted in favor of the Bruins instead.

They defeated the Habs for the first time on home ice since Jan. 12, 2012.

Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid, who played in his 400th National Hockey League (NHL) career game, scored a one-timer, his second goal of the season, at 8:57 in the first period to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead. Forward Peter Cehlarik earned his first NHL career assist on McQuaid’s goal and defenseman Torey Krug recorded his 31st assist.

Toward the end of the first period, the Bruins were assessed with two minor penalties– too many men on ice and hooking, which gave the Habs a combined a 1:37 power play (PP) opportunity for a five on three man advantage. Even though the Habs generated more two more shots on net than the Bruins, the Habs were unable to capitalize on the PP before the goal horn sounded the end of the first period.

“

I think we’ve found that groove now.

— Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask

Heading into the second period, another defenseman answered for the Bruins.

Captain Zdeno Chara opened the second period with a shorthanded goal pass Habs goaltender Carey Price to give the Bruins a two-goal lead. Forwards Ryan Spooner and Brad Marchand assisted on the captain’s wrist shot.

On his goal, Chara said to reporters in a post-game press conference that: “Those are always big, you kind of don’t expect to probably score. But, when you do, it’s a huge boost.”

Cehlarik had a two-point night after he assisted on forward David Krejci’s PP goal at 15:05 in the second period and was named third star of the game. The forward made his NHL debut on Thursday night in a home game against the San Jose Sharks after being recalled from the American Hockey League (AHL) Providence Bruins on Wednesday.

Five minutes into the third period, forward Frank Vatrano gave the Bruins a four-goal lead over the Habs with his slap shot. Vatrano recorded his eighth goal of the season, assisted by Krejci and forward David Pastrnak.

After defenseman Kevan Miller took a high stick from Habs forward Alex Galchunyuk, the Bruins were unable to generate on Galchunuk’s double minor penalty, a four-minute PP to extend the lead.

With the game win in their final matchup against the Habs in a four-game series– at least during the regular season, the Bruins won their third consecutive game under interim head coach Bruce Cassidy since former head coach Claude Julien was relieved of his coaching duties on Wednesday.

Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask earned his sixth shut out of the season, which ranks him second in the league for recording the most shutouts. Rask sits behind Washington Capitals Braden Holtby and Los Angeles Kings Peter Budaj with seven shutouts each. Rask made 25 saves of the game and earned first star of the game.

On the game, Rask said to reporters after the game that: “I wouldn’t call it a statement. I think we played a great game overall. “It was a back-to-back for both teams, and even though they might have outplayed us just a little bit in the first (period), we still had the lead and we extended it greatly, two nice goals. So it was a great, great game.”

Price, who allowed four goals on the 36 shots he faced against the Bruins said to reporters after the game that: “We just seem to have lost our identity. We’re a little loose. We just have to take a step back and get refocused.”

As of Monday night, the Bruins trail the Habs six points in the Atlantic Division, competing for a spot in the playoffs. With a 29-23-6 record, the Bruins are currently third in the division. After 58 games played so far this season, the Bruins are on their bye week and look to regroup on Sunday to begin their four-game road trip starting out in the west coast.

After the game, Chara said to reporters that: “We can only control how we play and I think we did that. So, now, it’s time to take some rest and be ready when we get back.”
The Bruins are back at it on Sunday to face the San Jose Sharks for an 8:30 p.m. puck drop at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. The game will be broadcasted on NESN.