ANAHEIM, Calif. — David Pastrnak had three goals and an assist, Hampus Lindholm scored a goal on his return to Anaheim, and the Boston Bruins completed a perfect three-game road trip with a 7-1 win over the Boston Bruins. Ducks Sunday night.
David Krejci had a goal and two assists before Brad Marchand, Lindholm and Charlie Coyle added third period goals for the No. 1 Bruins. Boston has won four straight overall after beating all three NHL teams from California by a combined 16-5 over the past four days.
“Our defense is playing well, all four lines are rolling and we have two great goaltenders,” Pastrnak said after the Bruins (32-4-4) extended their overall NHL lead to 11 points over Toronto and Carolina. . “We are doing very well and playing for each other.”
Jeremy Swayman made 28 saves to back up Pastrnak, who has 32 goals in 40 games this season after scoring his 13th career hat trick. He scored seven goals in the Bruins’ three games on the West Coast, and that outburst in Anaheim was another indication the Czech winger is on the verge of a monster contract, before or after reaching free agency. unrestricted this summer.
“I looked great and was able to capitalize,” Pastrnak said. “Amazing trip for us. Let’s go home now.
Trevor Zegras scored and John Gibson stopped 35 shots for the Ducks, who failed to secure their first three-game winning streak since November 2021. Last-place Anaheim fell to 3-4-1 on its franchise record 10 home games.
“The first two periods I was okay with the effort,” Anaheim coach Dallas Eakins said. “In the third, we just unscrewed our brains.”
After Pastrnak had the sixth 30-goal season of his career with a score in the first period, he scored his hat-trick with two goals 17 seconds apart in the second period. He put a power-play goal between Gibson’s legs and followed it up with a breakaway goal, sending dozens of hats flying onto the Orange County ice by Bruins fans.
Boston coach Jim Montgomery said Pastrnak is “elite. Creative. He’s like an artist in the different ways he scores. … I would have broken my ankle if I was the goalie (on third base).
Pastrnak is no stranger to prolific performances against the Ducks: he scored a career-best four goals at Anaheim in Boston in October 2019.
Ducks fans gave a warm welcome to Lindholm, the longtime Anaheim defenseman who was traded to Boston last spring when new general manager Pat Verbeek decided not to sign him to a long-term contract. Lindholm, the Ducks’ sixth overall pick in 2012, is third in franchise history among defensemen in points, goals, assists and blocked shots.
Lindholm immediately landed an eight-year, $52 million contract with the Bruins, and the Swede paid it off: he left his return game with an impressive 28 points and a plus-29 differential.
“It was a great moment,” Lindholm said of the tribute video and standing ovation for him in the first half. “This place is special to me, but now I’m on a new chapter that I’m really excited about.”
Pastrnak gave the Bruins the lead less than four minutes from the top of the left circle with a quick wrist shot past Gibson, which was thrown by teammate John Klingberg.
Zegras, who scored 36 points in his only season at Boston University, scored his 12th goal of the season on a poor one-timer late in the first.
NEXT
Bruins: Host Seattle on Thursday.
Ducks: hosts Edmonton on Wednesday.
Sizzling Pastrnak’s hat trick sends Bruins ahead of Ducks, 7-1 originally appeared on NBCSports.com
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