B's Close Out Weekend Sweep with Win Over Habs

MONTREAL - Behind two goals apiece from Erik Haula and Patrice Bergeron, the Bruins picked up a 5-3 win over the Canadiens on Sunday night at Bell Centre, giving them a perfect sweep of a weekend back-to-back, and a sweep of the Habs in their three matchups this season. Charlie McAvoy's tally with 1:51 remaining in the second, a rocket off a faceoff for his 10th goal of the season and a 4-1 Boston lead, proved to be the winner after the Canadiens notched two goals in the final frame to pull within a goal. Here are some more news and notes from the victory:

Haula Hot vs. Habs

Erik Haula had two goals in the B's victory over the Canadiens, the first on an interesting penalty shot opportunity coming with 1:57 to go in the first period. Haula missed the puck on his initial drive to the net, but stayed composed enough to go back, get the puck, and put the Bruins up 2-0 with a wrister by the glove of Montreal goalie Sam Montembault.
"Honestly, I was so flustered after that happened and the crowd was so loud I didn't realize if the refs had blown the whistle or not. But thank God I scored so we can move on from it quicker," said Haula.
There were no lack of jokes from Haula's teammates, especially from Brad Marchand who was hoping he would no longer be alone in his missing the puck after having overskated a 2020 shootout attempt vs. the Flyers. "Marchand was hoping I touched it so he wouldn't be alone," said Haula. "There were a lot of laughs."
And with only three games remaining in the regular season, Haula added that the B's are excited for what's to come. "We are just trying to fine tune our game," he said. "But our team is confident and ready for the big dance."

Bergeron Reaches Milestone

Patrice Bergeron secured his 396th goal on a nice sequence by Brad Marchand and Jake DeBrusk to get him the puck at the top of the crease to put ahead, 1-0, with 4:57 to go in the first. The B's captain later added his 397th career marker with just seconds remaining.
The two-goal outing put Bergeron just above Ray Bourque's 395 tallies in Black & Gold and into sole possession of fourth place on the B's all-time goals list. Rick Middleton is up next with 402.
"He's a legend in Boston, obviously like a Jean Béliveau was here or Jacques Lemaire. [Guy] Lafleur's sentiment, very good two-way player, a real professional player. It's nice to do it here in his own home province," said Cassidy.
Cassidy also credited Bergeron for his stamina and willingness to push through the Bruins' busy end of the season schedule.
"It's game 79 for them and back-to-back. We'd even asked him if he would like a night off; we've got five games in seven days it's a crazy finish. But he wanted to play, obviously, in front of his parents and and good for him," said Cassidy.
Jeremy Swayman also had high praise for the captain, who he called his role model after the win Sunday night. "Bergy is one in a million," said Swayman. "One of the best in the game to ever play. I'm so fortunate to be a young guy soaking up everything he has to offer, he's a true leader through and through and he shows leadership everyday with what he does. He's one of the greatest role models you can have."

A Honorary Night

Before puck drop, the Canadiens honored the legendary Guy Lafleur with a moving pregame ceremony, as this was the first home game for Montreal since his passing late last week at the age of 70. A stirring video tribute was followed by a standing ovation that lasted over 10 minutes.
"I thought the Montreal organization did a great job with it. Obviously he is a legend here and the fans were awesome," said Cassidy.
As to how the ceremony may have affected the game, Cassidy knew both teams would give it their all following such an emotional tribute.
"Like I said before, the rivalry is still there every time we play Montreal. We want to make sure we put our best foot forward," said Cassidy. "I'm sure they feel the same way, especially at home, especially on a night like tonight."

Avoiding Injury

With David Pastrnak and Hampus Lindholm staying behind as was pre-determined for the back-to-back this weekend, injury, of course, remains on the top of the Bruins' mind with the playoffs just a week away.
Taylor Hall went down midway through the second period after taking a heavy along the boards, but looked to be OK and did not leave the game. "They didn't take him to the concussion room or the spotter's room so that's always a good sign, and the medical guys let him play," said Cassidy. "We would not do that if there's any danger at all...hopefully he just got winded and it was one of those situations you didn't know where he was for a second or couldn't get the air into his system to get up off the ice."