Well, can you believe it? The Montreal Canadiens marched into Boston and absolutely shut down the Bruins’ seven-game home winning streak, pulling off a massive 5-2 victory that actually sent them *past* Boston for the top spot in the Atlantic Division standings. This wasn’t just a win, it was a statement.
Habs Light Up Swayman, Take Control Early
Josh Anderson and Jake Evans were absolutely flying for Montreal, each bagging a goal and an assist. Kirby Dach got things going super early, like, 2:34 into the game, with a wraparound goal, his second of the season. Then Anderson, he just parked himself right in front of Jeremy Swayman and tipped in a rebound for his eighth goal of the season. Two-zip, just like that! Evans then broke away, fed by Anderson, and scored to extend that lead even further. And then, the knockout punch: Cole Caufield fired a shot from just outside the left circle into the top corner. That was it for Swayman, who got pulled at 11:46 of the second period after giving up four goals on just 17 shots. First time Boston’s had to make an in-game goalie change all season, which tells you everything about how Montreal was playing. Michael DiPietro came in and made 13 saves in relief, but the damage was already done. Phillip Danault even added another for Montreal with a long one-timer from the top of the right circle, making it 5-0 before Boston even got on the board.
New Leader in the Atlantic
Think about this: Montreal is now 9-0-3 in their last 12 games. They came into this only one point behind Boston, and now they’ve vaulted right over them. When these guys lead after two periods, they are basically unbeatable, now 10-0-2 in those situations. That’s a serious trend, folks. Boston tried to get back in it, though. Casey Mittelstadt had both their goals, first with a slick backhand move, then another right at the start of the third period. And hey, the Bruins actually outshot Montreal 32-30. But Jacob Fowler in net for Montreal? He was a brick wall, making 30 saves. It just wasn’t enough to overcome that early onslaught.
This was just the first of four matchups between these Original Six rivals this regular season, so you know there’s more fireworks coming. Montreal is riding high, hosting Colorado on Saturday. The Bruins, meanwhile, gotta regroup quick as they continue their four-game homestand against Minnesota, also on Saturday. What a wild night for the Atlantic Division, right?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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