Pastrnak scores 49th goal, Bruins defeat Canadiens for 5th win in row

BOSTON --David Pastrnak set an NHL career high with his 49th goal of the season, and the Boston Bruins defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-2 at TD Garden on Thursday.

"This is the kind of game that all you're thinking about is to get a win," Pastrnak said. "All these games against Montreal never get old, so it doesn't really matter where you are [in the standings]. Each team brings so much history, so it's a big win."
Tyler Bertuzzi had a goal and an assist, Connor Clifton had two assists, and Jeremy Swayman made 29 saves for Boston (55-11-5), which won its fifth straight game. Pastrnak also had an assist.
The Bruins, who have clinched a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, lead the Toronto Maple Leafs by 20 points for first place in the Atlantic Division.
"In the third period, I thought we played the right way," Boston coach Jim Montgomery said. "[We were] very loose before that. Happy that we got the two points; it's a tough league to win in, and I know we've won a lot this year, but it really is."

Nick Suzuki and Kirby Dach each had a goal and an assist, and Jake Allen made 17 saves for Montreal (28-38-6), which has lost 10 of its past 12 (2-8-2).
"I thought we brought a good game to them," Canadiens defenseman Mike Matheson said. "They're a very good, powerful team that'll capitalize when you give them the chances and so, at the end of the day, we did give them the chances, but I think overall we can take a lot of good parts of that game."
Bertuzzi gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead at 4:34 of the first period. His pass from behind the net went off the stick of Matheson, then off Allen's pad and in.
It was Bertuzzi's first goal since Boston acquired him in a trade with the Detroit Red Wings on March 2.

Jake DeBrusk made it 2-0 at 13:38, eluding Montreal defensemen Joel Edmundson and Justin Barron to skate in alone on Allen and beat him with a low shot.
"It's one of those things where I'm just trying to build my game, as we all are, going into the playoffs," DeBrusk said.
Bruins forward A.J. Greer was assessed a five-minute major and game misconduct at 17:08 for cross-checking Canadiens forward Mike Hoffman in the face. Suzuki then cut it to 2-1 on the power play with 19 seconds left with a slap shot from the left face-off circle.
"Guys are sticking up for each other," Suzuki said. "It's a rivalry that goes back many years, and you saw that tonight right from the get-go. It was important for us to bring that energy against them in their arena, and I thought we did a good job of that."
The teams combined for 31 penalty minutes, 23 by the Bruins, in the first period.
"Physicality is part of the game," Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said. "It's not like we're running around to go get physical, but there's a situation on the ice that presents itself that you have to be physical. Some games there's more of an opportunity than others. Early on, you saw a little bit of that, but I thought we stayed calm and collected and just kept playing."
After Swayman made a blocker save on Rafael Harvey-Pinard at 2:09 of the second period to help kill off the rest of Greer's major, Pastrnak pushed it to 3-1 27 seconds later at 2:36. He scored five-hole from the left circle after Bertuzzi intercepted Allen's clearing attempt along the boards.
Dach cut it to 3-2 with a power-play goal at 16:13, redirecting Matheson's pass on the doorstep.
"The way [the Bruins] kind of kill [penalties] is guys kind of go out in front," Dach said. "So, we were able to find that same backdoor and just angle my stick and hope 'Mikey' (Matheson) makes [the play]."

David Krejci scored with a backhand from the left side at 12:16 of the third period for the 4-2 final.
"We want to do our job every night," Swayman said. "[Fellow goaltender Linus Ullmark and I] know every time we touch the ice, we want to help the team have a chance to win every night. Some games are good, some games are bad, but we just want to do our job every night."
NOTES: The Canadiens announced forward Josh Anderson will miss the remainder of the season with a high-ankle sprain sustained in a 3-2 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday. He was fourth on Montreal with 32 points (21 goals, 11 assists) and third in goals in 69 games. … Suzuki has 200 NHL points (71 goals, 129 assists) in 281 games. … Bertuzzi has six points (one goal, five assists) in 10 games with Boston. … It was Pastrnak's 29th multipoint game of the season. Only Edmonton Oilers forwards Connor McDavid (42) and Leon Draisaitl (31), and Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk (31) have more. Pastrnak finished with 48 goals last season and in 2019-20.