The Boston Bruins turned around a 2-1 deficit with four consecutive goals and held on to defeat the Montreal Canadiens 6-4 on Thursday for their ninth consecutive home-opening victory.
Mark Kastelic scored his first pair as a Bruin, including a key insurance marker with 4:00 remaining that halted a two-goal Montreal rally.
Cole Koepke and Elias Lindholm each had a goal and two assists, while Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak (one goal, one assist) each scored their second goal in as many games.
McAvoy became only the second defenseman in Bruins history to score in the first two games of a season.
Nikita Zadorov and Brandon Carlo also had two assists apiece.
Jeremy Swayman made 21 saves in his first start since signing an eight-year, $66 million extension with the Bruins on Sunday.
Montreal’s Brendan Gallagher scored twice and Cole Caufield tallied a goal.
Also for the Canadiens, Boston University product Lane Hutson registered his first multi-point game in his fourth career contest with two assists, while Oliver Kapanen had his first NHL point.
Cayden Primeau (23 saves) lost his season debut.
The Bruins took a 3-2 lead with 1:37 left before the first intermission as Lindholm tipped Zadorov’s point shot through the legs of Primeau.
Benefitting from Zacha’s hard work down low, Pastrnak ripped home a shot in the slot with 4:04 remaining in the second.
Only 55 seconds later, Koepke sprung John Beecher into the offensive zone before following the play and banging home the puck that was left loose to make it 5-2.
Josh Anderson got one back for Montreal at 9:05 of the third, sending a long shot through traffic that deflected past Swayman.
Gallagher tallied from the slot with 4:17 left before Kastelic struck quickly thereafter on an attempted driving pass that deflected off a defender.
The visitors drew first blood 8:26 into the game when Gallagher tipped in a Joel Armia shot.
McAvoy glided across to the top of the left circle to fire in Boston’s game-tying wrister at 11:04.
Montreal regained the lead only 1:14 later as an uncovered Caufield scored a loose puck that stayed at the left post following Kaiden Guhle’s point shot. The star winger now has goals in back-to-back games to begin consecutive seasons.
Kastelic netted the 2-2 goal at 13:24, slotting home a slick wrister after Zadorov slid the puck down from the left point to the top of the circle.
–Field Level Media