The Bruins ended the regular season with the all-important VIBES in a much better place, thanks to a 4-0 win over the New Jersey Devils.
The B’s jumped out to a 1-0 lead less than a minute into the game and never looked back, with Mark Kastelic leading the way with two goals and Jeremy Swayman making 21 saves in the win.
Morgan Geekie and Viktor Arvidsson scored the other Bruin goals, while David Pastrnak recorded an assist to reach the 100-point mark for the season.
Geekie got the scoring started 53
seconds into the game, collecting a Pastrnak pass and making it 1-0 Bruins.
Kastelic got his first of the night just five minutes later to make it 2-0 Bruins.
Kastelic got his second ten minutes later, making it 3-0 Bruins.
Arvidsson capped a perfect first period with a tap-in goal with just six seconds left, making it 4-0 Bruins.
That was it for scoring, all in the first twenty minutes.
Bruins win, 4-0.
Game notes
- There were a handful of milestones for the B’s tonight. Pastrnak’s assist gave him 100 points, making it four consecutive 100+ point seasons. Arvidsson’s goal was his 25th of the season. Then there was the team itself reaching 100 points with the win, no small feat given how last season went.
- James Hagens didn’t end up on the scoresheet tonight, but played well enough in his first pro game at TD Garden. He landed one shot on net in 15:58 of ice time.
- Pavel Zacha left the game after the first period, with the team saying it was for a family matter. Per Ty Anderson, Zacha left for “good reasons” and will be ready for the playoffs.
- The B’s finished the regular season with an impressive 29-11-1 record at TD Garden. Those 29 wins were tied for the most home wins in the NHL this season, with Carolina also recording 29 wins at home.
- We’ll set up another thread for the official playoff match-up, but as you likely now, tonight’s win clinched WC1 for the B’s, setting up a first-round series against the Buffalo Sabres.
- The win also ensures that Ottawa’s last game, against the Toronto Maple Leafs, will mean nothing for the Sens, potentially impacting the Leafs’ lottery odds.
Two points secured, no one got hurt…I’d say that was a decent night.
