FINAL SCORE: Bruins 3, Ducks 1
IN BRIEF: The Bruins earned their second straight win on Thursday night, defeating the Ducks 3-1. David Pastrnak, Torey Krug, and David Krejci all notched goals for the B's. Krug and David Backes earned their 200th and 300th career assists respectively, and Krejci racked up his 600th career point on his goal. BOX SCORE.
BRUINS RECORD: 17-12-4
FROM JOE HAGGERTY:
1. Four goals in the last seven games for Torey Krug, who continues to post big numbers and spur on the Boston offense with his recent hot streak. Once again he was a shooter on the power play while dropping to the face-off circle and smashing one into a basically open net after a couple of criss-cross passes opened up a seam for him. The Bruins offense really does grow by a dimension once Krug really gets into a playmaking and goal-producing hot streak, and that’s exactly where he’s at right now. It certainly comes at a time when the Bruins really need it too as the offense hasn’t been bountiful or plentiful against the Ducks tonight. The nine shot attempts make for a super active night for No. 47.
2. Twenty-two goals in 35 games for David Pastrnak after finishing off a one-timer chance earlier in the period as well. Could Pastrnak score 50 goals this season? It’s certainly possible as he continues to produce and get to the scoring areas where he’s going to do the most damage as he did against the Ducks earlier in the second period. With Patrice Bergeron coming back that’s also going to open up a lot of offensive chances for him as well once Boston’s super line gets back up and running at full strength, which could happen as early on Saturday afternoon.
3. Five straight shutout periods for Jaroslav Halak dating back to Monday night’s win over the Canadiens in Montreal. We’ll see if he can get to six, but he was good in the first period without being tested much at all. He did have a great, heads-up play on the penalty kill when a puck took a weird bounce toward him in the crease. He corralled the puck and then flicked it the length of the ice for a clear the B’s needed at the end of their penalty kill. Halak is definitely a player with his head in the game, which is a strength for a goalie in situations like that.
Boston Bruins
4. Five straight shutout periods for Jaroslav Halak dating back to Monday night’s win over the Canadiens in Montreal. He couldn’t get to six periods as he was touched up by a Josh Mahura goal in the third period, but he was good all three periods in the B’s win without being tested much at all. He did have a great, heads-up play on the penalty kill when a puck took a weird bounce toward him in the crease. He corralled the puck and then flicked it the length of the ice for a clear the B’s needed at the end of their penalty kill. Halak is definitely a player with his head in the game, which is a strength for a goalie in situations like that.
5. David Krejci scored a goal in the third period for the 600th point of his NHL career with the Black and Gold, and now has 5 goals and 11 points in eight games since getting slotted as the center between David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand. The playmaking center has stepped in very ably to Patrice Bergeron’s spot and makes one wonder how he’s going to operate starting Saturday when No. 37 comes back into the B’s lineup. It also makes you wonder how much longer the B’s are going to go without making certain there are quality goal-scoring wingers on both sides of him after watching him play some of his best hockey over the last few weeks.
HIGHLIGHTS
PASTRNAK STRIKES FIRST
On Pastrnak's goal, Torey Krug notched his 200th career assist to pass Mike O'Connell for most by a U.S.-born player in team history. David Backes earned his 300th career assist on the play.
STELLAR SAVE BY HALAK
KRUG MAKES IT 2-0
KREJCI SCORES, NOTCHES 600th CAREER POINT
Krejci's goal extended his point streak to eight games, and he became the 10th player in franchise history to record 600 career points with the B's.
UP NEXT:
Vs. Predators, Saturday, 1 p.m. (NESN)
Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.