It got downright ugly for the Bruins back in that Dec. 23 embarrassment, too, as the Bruins just straight-up lost their composure on the way to a 6-2 final. Now, the best revenge would’ve been the Bruins coming out and pasting the Canadiens for … oh I don’t know … 10 goals and winning a couple of fights along the way. But with that not an option for the club on Saturday, the Bruins instead ‘settled’ for what was their first comeback win of the season under first-year head coach Marco Sturm.
“We can play against any team,” Sturm said following Saturday’s victory. “Today, we had to beat a really good high-end skill, [good] skating team. Totally different than Vegas. So that gives me the confidence we can play different styles, too. But at the end of the day, we have to stick to our system and structure, which is getting good production out of the power play and goaltending, so that is really nice to see.”
With the win, the Bruins are officially on their hottest run of the season, with wins in 10 of their last 12 games dating back to their New Year’s Eve win in Edmonton.
Here’s a look at the 985TheSportsHub.com 3 Stars of the game…
3rd Star: Charlie McAvoy
ST PAUL, MINNESOTA – DECEMBER 14: Charlie McAvoy #73 of the Bruins skates with the puck in the first period. (David Berding/Getty Images)
Another strong night at the office for Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy. Deployed for a team-leading 27:43 (almost six full minutes more than the next-closest Bruins defender), McAvoy finished Saturday’s contest with three helpers, two blocks, and two hits. It also felt like McAvoy was one of those who really took this rematch to heart and upped the intensity at every possible moment.
2nd Star: Cole Caufield
BOSTON, MA – JANUARY 24: Cole Caufield #13 of the Canadiens heads back to the bench after scoring his third goal of the game as hats are thrown onto the ice. (Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
I think Bruins fans are beginning to have nightmares of what Canadiens winger Cole Caufield can do on the power play. And if not, just know that at this rate, they are definitely coming.
Scoring all three Montreal goals in this one, Caufield became the first visitor to score a hat trick at TD Garden since Artemi Panarin in Mar. 2024, and the first Canadien to post a road hat trick against the Bruins since Mark Recchi accomplished it in 1997.
…Still can’t believe he didn’t make Team USA’s Olympic roster.
1st Star: Morgan Geekie
BOSTON, MA – JANUARY 24: Fraser Minten is congratulated by Mason Lohrei, Jonathan Aspirot, and Morgan Geekie after scoring against the Canadiens at TD Garden. (Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
Bruins winger Morgan Geekie tried just about everything he could to snap out of his recent funk. He switched sticks. He switched visors. He even changed his diet a little bit, noting that he’s eaten more ice cream lately. Whatever he did ahead of the latest Bruins-Canadiens tilt appeared to work, though, as Geekie got himself back on the board with more tallies, including the game-winning goal for the Bruins.
Both of Geekie’s goals came with Boston on the man advantage, and it was his first two-goal performance since Dec. 16 against Utah.
Talking to Geekie after the game, I asked if his garbage-time goal in Dallas helped get him back on track from a scoring standpoint. He said it actually didn’t help as much as he thought it would, and instead maintained his focus on doing whatever else he could to impact the game while waiting for the goal scoring to return to the box score.