Bruins’ Win Streak Hits Four with Victory in L.A.

LOS ANGELES – Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak had three points apiece, while the Bruins’ penalty kill dominated, once again, as the Black & Gold captured their fourth straight win to start the season with a 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night at crypto.com Arena.

“It's definitely a game that we circled on this trip knowing that it was going to be a battle and they brought it and that's a team that is well coached,” said Jeremy Swayman, who made 32 saves for his second win of the season.

“Obviously, a lot of skill players and they stick to their game plan well, so definitely a feel-good win. We take the positives and move forward. And we've still got two more games on this road trip.”

The Bruins have now won four or more games to start the season for just the seventh time in team history and first since 1990-91. Their best such streak is six games in 1937-38.

More news and notes from the B’s win in Los Angeles:

Forbort A Force

Derek Forbort was a force for the Bruins in his 22:20 of ice time, which included a team-high 5:13 on the penalty kill. The blue liner also registered two assists, one on each of Boston’s second-period goals.

“I mean I don't really care about points but anytime you get them it's nice,” Forbort said matter-of-factly after the game.

Coach Jim Montgomery said that Forbort is coming into his own after dealing with an injury during camp that limited him to just one exhibition contest.

“He tweaked his groin early in camp and now you're starting to see a player that's the player that we saw last year,” said Montgomery. “He's really assertive defensively, blocking shots, getting pucks out on the penalty kill and he's getting more assertive offensively again, too. He's sliding, he's getting more comfortable. He's getting in a good rhythm offensively.”

Swayman, who had a front-row seat for Forbort’s performance on the kill, was also eager to compliment the blue liner’s performance.

“Oh, man. He loves L.A. obviously,” Swayman said of the former King. “So, it's awesome for him. I mean, he's a guy that works hard every day as well and a guy that comes up big at big times. He's not only getting some points but he's obviously a shutdown D man in front of me.”

Keeping it Short

The Bruins’ penalty kill was dominant, once again, going 5 for 6 on the night. Boston, which had been 18 for 18 to start the season, surrendered a power-play tally with just 1:10 to go and the game all but wrapped up.

“Our structure was phenomenal and that's something that we use as a momentum piece rolling forward, is killing off two big penalties and a 5-on-3 as well,” said Swayman. “So, that's something that as a goalie you definitely like to use as a momentum moving forward, not let in a goal and then finish up period strong.”

The tone was set in the early going when the Bruins killed off a nearly minute-long 5-on-3 to keep the Kings off the board across the game’s first five minutes.

“It's tough when you get 5-on-3 and if you jack one in the net there you're chasing the game right from the first couple of minutes of the game,” said Montgomery. “Our penalty kill has been excellent all year long and our special teams have been really good so far this year.”

The strong penalty killing in the early going set the table for the Bruins’ to cash in on their own power-play opportunity as Pastrnak buried a wrister from the top of the left-wing circle just 13 seconds into the man advantage with 6:50 to go in the first period to put the Bruins ahead, 1-0.

Geekie Gets One

Roughly eight minutes after Los Angeles tied the game in the second period, Morgan Geekie notched his first goal in the Spoked-B to give Boston back the lead, 2-1, with 5:15 left in the middle frame. After some strong puck possession by Matt Poitras to wear down the Kings in their own end, the rookie pivot got the puck to Forbort at the point.

Forbort’s shot clanked off of Milan Lucic in front and popped out right to Geekie at the side of the net where the first-year Bruin buried once past Los Angeles goalie Cam Talbot.

“We were kind of playing below the goal line,” said Geekie. “Potsy kind of turned up behind the net that first time then we rimmed it back again. Forbs made a nice play to get the puck to the net and I think it went off Loch's ankle, so just right place, right time kind of thing.”

Montgomery credited Poitras, who was coming off a down game in San Jose to start the trip, with sparking the tally.

“Well,” Montgomery said when asked how he thought Poitras responded. “Hanging on to pucks. I mean, that Geekie goal I thought all started with him. I loved Lucic on the goal, too.”

Wait, There’s More

• Trent Frederic dropped the gloves with Andreas Englund off the draw following Geekie’s goal. The winger delivered a number of flush right shots and after being separated by the lineman clapped and screamed toward the Bruins bench Marchand then scored to put the Bruins ahead, 3-1, just 43 seconds later. “I think we started getting more physical, we got emotion into our game,” said Montgomery. “Give Freddy a great job with the fight because I think our bench really got going on that. I think we just wore out the back of the net, we held on to pucks. I think we really saw the type of team we believe we can be.”
• Pastrnak has now scored in four consecutive games to the start the season, the longest such streak by a Bruin since Dimitri Kvartalnov in 1992-93 (five games), per NHL Stats.
• Marchand, meanwhile, has tallied at least a point (3-3—6) in each of the first four games of the season, marking the third time in his career he has done that (2016-17 and 2021-22). His second goal of the game came off a strong feed from Pastrnak (goal, two assists) behind the net with 2:12 to go to make it 4-1.
• Montgomery on Swayman’s 32-save showing: “He was really good...we are still a work in progress. We're starting to see improvement every game, but our goaltenders we know it's the strength of our team and they're doing a great job.”