BOSTON – The Boston Bruins honored a franchise legend and followed the ceremony with a hard-fought two points on Thursday night.
The Boston Bruins (27-19-2) celebrated Zdeno Chara’s retirement, then defeated the Seattle Kraken (21-16-9), 4-2, at the TD Garden. It is the fifth straight win for the Boston Bruins, all of which came on home ice.
Following the pregame ceremony for Zdeno Chara, the Bruins and Kraken faced off for the second time in nine days. Jeremy Swayman stopped 26 shots, the Bruins had four goal-scorers, including a shorthanded goal, and Charlie McAvoy is “playing the best hockey” that Marco Sturm has seen out of him.
“It’s excitement, man,” Swayman said about the pressure of the night. “Such an incredible night, what an honor for Big Zee and everything he’s accomplished here. It’s a huge motivator for us as players, you know, we want to be hanging right next to him one day.”
With the win, Swayman has won four of his last five starts and just defeated the team he allowed six goals against just nine days before. Swayman made five saves on the penalty kill and five high-danger saves as well.
Marat Khusnutdinov continued the Garden’s celebration 54 seconds into the game. Khusnutdinov’s goal came off a long pass from Charlie McAvoy, and he used his speed to get past Cale Fleury and drive toward the net.
“He kind of knows where he is right now in the team. He’s killing for me now, he’s playing on the top line, and now he’s scoring a few goals too,” Sturm said about the 23-year-old Khusnutdinov. “I’m very happy the way he developed, and he played for us, for our team, and for me so far.”
Then, Viktor Arvidsson scored for the Bruins. His linemates, Pavel Zacha and Casey Mittelstadt, assisted on the goal. Arvidsson is now running with a six-game point streak, and his line continues to leave its mark on the scoresheet.
“We’re healthy, and we’re really, really skating and helping each other, finding each other,” Arvidsson said. “Close passes and stuff are really connecting. Just having fun out there, I think, is a big part of it, too. And talking about situations all the time.”
Mark Kastelic picked up a shorthanded goal in the second period, which ultimately became the game-winning goal. It is the team’s second goal of the season while shorthanded.
He picked the pocket of Hingham-native Matty Beniers and drove to the net for a chance on North Andover-native Joey Daccord.
“That was huge,” Marco Sturm said after the game. “That was huge because it was a weird time of the game; we were up one goal. They were pushing, actually, pretty good. PK. They pretty much dominated us in Seattle. They scored again. So it was a critical time of the game. His effort, with the nice goal, helped us to win today’s hockey game.”
Kastelic now has goals in back-to-back games.
On the night his old defensive partner’s number was retired, Charlie McAvoy had a strong showing. McAvoy finished the game with two assists, a plus-three rating, delivered four hits, and three blocked shots.
“He’s playing outstanding,” Marco Sturm said about McAvoy. “Even off the ice, I feel like he’s growing as a leader, too. He does a lot of the right things, takes care of himself, too. He’s in a good spot right now.”
“As of right now, he’s definitely playing the best hockey I’ve seen from him,” Sturm added.
McAvoy played for 28:00 on Thursday, his most in a single game this season. Andrew Peeke left the game after playing in eight shifts with a lower-body injury.
“He will definitely come on the road, so I don’t think it’s gonna be long-term,” Sturm said about Peeke. “Hopefully, he can be back in Chicago, or at the latest, in Dallas. As of right now, I don’t think it’s going to be long-term.”
Although the Bruins won the game thanks to Kastelic’s shorthanded goal, Seattle converted on two power play opportunities on Thursday night. A redirection in the net-front and an Eeli Tolvanen shot were the only two pucks that got by Swayman.
The Bruins have responded to their December six-game losing streak by winning seven of eight games, including a clean sweep of the five-game homestand. Boston won this game, like others in the homestand, by controlling the five-on-five game and playing for a complete 60 minutes.
“The other thing we kind of learned from the past was to be patient, too,” Sturm said. “There was a lot of times we got too excited, too high, too low. I think we’ve been really steady, actually. If you look at our third periods now, all five games at home, they have probably been one of the better ones.”
The Bruins avenged their most recent loss against the Seattle Kraken, with a shorthanded goal from Mark Kastelic, two assists from Charlie McAvoy, and another steady performance from Jeremy Swayman.
Boston will have the day off on Friday, and the team will fly to Chicago. The Bruins will look to extend their win streak on Saturday night in Chicago, while the Blackhawks (19-21-7) continue their Centennial celebration.