*Photo from the Eagle Tribune*
Who could have expected this start? David Pastrnak had a goal and an assist, Jake Debrusk scored, and the Boston Bruins defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets with a 4-0 shutout victory on Friday night in Columbus.
The win for the Bruins continues what has been a torrid start to the season. They won 3 straight to open the year, and have now won 5 in a row and 8 of 9 to start the season, sitting at an 8-1-0 record with the best record in the NHL. Pastrnak now possesses the league lead in goals.
Bruins center Charlie Coyle said of the win that "It's a great start. I don't know if a lot of people expected us to have the record that we have now, but it doesn't matter. We know what's in here and the guys we have and the guys that can fill in and take on responsibility. It's a great sign for a team with a few key guys out."
The only goal of the first period came from Matt Grzelcyk, who scored his first goal of the season 8:43 into the game, giving the Bruins a 1-0 lead with assists from Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha. Coyle picked up his 3rd goal of the season at the 4:30 mark of the second period, scoring shorthanded to make it a 2-0 game.
At the 15:07 mark of the second, it was Debrusk's turn, scoring on a breakaway to make the lead 3-0, his 3rd goal of the season, this one unassisted. With 27 seconds left on the clock in the second, Pastrnak notched his 7th goal this season, with Patrice Bergeron assisting to make it a 4-0 lead for the Bruins, which held through the 3rd period.
DeBrusk said after the game that "Everyone's feeling fairly good about their games and unbelievable goaltending. You saw it tonight. Linus was amazing and honestly kept us in the game and let us get that lead and kind of control the game from there."
Getting the nod in goal for the Bruins was Linus Ullmark, who improved his unbeaten record to 6-0-0 to open the season. Ullmark posted a shutout, stopping all 30 Columbus shots for his 5th career NHL shutout.
The Blue Jackets started Elvis Merzlikins in net, and he got hit by the Bruins in a loss. Merzlikins stopped 25 of 29 shots he faced, dropping to 2-3-0 this season. He got pulled after two periods in favor of Daniil Tarasov, who made 6 saves in the 3rd period.
Columbus head coach Brad Larsen said that "We've got to get more competitive in our 1-on-1s in some different areas. We can't fool ourselves here and say it's just bad breaks. There is no excuse. The competitive level, especially in the second period for me, that and parts in the first, it was too easy to get through guys. Too easy for me."
Up next, the Bruins face the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night, with Ullmark likely to get the start. Columbus hits the road to face the New Jersey Devils on Sunday afternoon, with Merzlikins the probable starter.
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