As such, the Bruins’ early two-goal deficit to the Red Wings on Saturday afternoon – on the heels of a disappointing loss to Edmonton on Thursday – was hardly a doom-and-gloom state of affairs for the boys donning the Spoked-B.
“That first period didn’t go as we planned,” mentioned Hathaway. “We came back and we re-grouped, and said, ‘Hey, what do we have to do to get better?’ Second period, we came out and tied it up, and then [it was], ‘How do we win this game?’ This team has been pulling it together all year.”
The matinee matchup towards Detroit was no completely different as Boston stormed again with a dominant second interval to tie the sport, earlier than Hathaway delivered the winner late within the third along with his first objective as a Bruin to safe a 3-2 victory at TD Garden and cap a stellar efficiency by the B’s fourth line.
“It was great. They deserved everything of it,” Patrice Bergeron mentioned of Boston’s trio of Hathaway, A.J. Greer, and Tomas Nosek. “They’re the ones that got us back in the fight. Their work ethic, throughout the season, ever since Garnet came in as well, the way that they play. But tonight, they were the best line, and they got us going and they got rewarded with a great goal.”
Boston’s victory was its 50th of the season in simply its 64th recreation, setting a brand new NHL report. It is the 12th 50-win marketing campaign in Bruins historical past and second straight (51 wins in 2021-22), probably the most since hitting the mark 4 straight seasons from 1970-74.
“It’s amazing. I love playing for this team. I love wearing the Bruins logo, especially with the results,” mentioned Greer. “It’s been an amazing journey so far and we’re not really focused on anything right now besides playing the right way for 60 minutes every night and making sure that each and every guy is pushing each other to do our best and stay collective and content with what we have in this locker room to go out there and just play Bruins hockey.”
Video: Hathaway speaks with media after 3-2 win over Detroit
While the Bruins actually fed off a powerful effort from the fourth line, Hathaway credited Bergeron with serving to the gamers reset after Detroit constructed a two-goal lead (on a shorty at 1:36 and a power-play marker at 4:32) inside the recreation’s first 5 minutes.
“He brought us together,” mentioned Hathaway. “He’s a great leader, we lean on him a lot and it’s a huge testament to how he is and his character, and why you look around this room and you see guys of high character and guys working for each other.
“I feel we take a look at Bergy so much to say, ‘Hey, let’s take into consideration the longer term. What can we management our subsequent shift?’ You do not wish to be down 2-0 in your constructing, particularly that early, however the recreation is just not over.”
It certainly was not, as the Bruins responded with a relentless, dominating second period, during which they outshot Detroit, 18-2, and tied the game on tallies from Hampus Lindholm (12:43) and Bergeron (14:11 on the power play) just 1:28 apart.
“It was only a reset. It’s 10 minutes in. There’s a variety of time,” said Bergeron. “Going again to simply being within the second, forgetting about what was behind us, and look ahead and going again to enjoying our recreation and enjoying via our course of and our particulars and that I believed in who we’re and what we do.”
Video: Greer speaks with media after 3-2 win over Detroit
Fourth Line Shines
Hathaway’s goal was a rewarding one given how well the fourth line played throughout the afternoon, as they helped to set the tone for Boston both physically and emotionally. On the winner, the trio chugged through the neutral zone with Nosek finding Greer just inside the Detroit blue line.
Greer then skated in toward the right-wing circle and threw a wrister on Red Wings goalie Magnus Hellberg as Hathaway charged hard to the crease. Hathaway then whacked the puck into the blue paint before quickly tapping it over the goal line to give Boston a 3-2 lead with 6:06 remaining.
“Really deserving,” said Montgomery. “I believed they had been our greatest line all evening lengthy proper from the primary shift of the sport, the place I believed they acquired us going north. They had a variety of beauty and spent a variety of time within the O-zone although I begin them within the D-zone a variety of instances.”
Hathaway felt that the line played to their identity of grinding away the other team, especially at the offensive end of the ice.
“I feel we performed to the identification that we wish to,” said Hathaway. “Nosey’s been nice within the dot for lots of video games now; he was nice tonight, too. Greersy will get on each puck and forechecks very well, so we began making performs after which I can feed off that. Our recreation is shifting via the zones, attempting to get to the O-zone, and I feel we had been in a position to put on them down a bit tonight. Getting a objective for the road was simply type of the cherry on prime for us.”
Bergeron called the winning tally a “good instance of nice execution” on a 3-on-2 rush.
“I’ve talked so much about our depth all through the lineup,” said Bergeron. “I feel for them, it is a good instance proper there. They’re extraordinarily exhausting to play towards. They’re on the puck. They’re on their toes, however they’ll additionally make performs…somebody drives to the online and will get rewarded for it.”
The fourth line also knew its place within a game in which the Bruins did not get off to the greatest start.
“We simply instructed ourselves on the bench, ‘Hey, we have to gentle a spark right here and we have to go on the market and do one thing to ignite not solely our workforce, however the crowd,'” said Greer. “I believed we did a terrific job of hemming the D-men in their very own zone. Relentless strain, bodily, and after we play the best manner the offensive probabilities come.
“The puck found us, found our sticks. We got the good bounces, and it was a great play all around for the goal at the end. Hath was just doing his job, going for the net and that’s exactly what we need as a fourth line. Just crashing the net and getting those dirty goals.”
Video: DET@BOS: Hathaway nets the go-ahead objective within the third
Powered Up
Bergeron’s power-play tally was the B’s first on the person benefit since March 2 vs. Buffalo. Since Feb. 1, Boston’s energy play ranks 25th within the NHL (14%).
“I think we started moving the puck, and our support was a lot quicker,” mentioned Montgomery, whose membership went 1 for 4 on the PP. “We found the bumper a lot more, and the bumper allowed us to move pucks to the elbows or up top or down low.”
The play started to develop when Dmitry Orlov – moved to the highest unit forward of Thursday’s recreation towards Edmonton – despatched a feed over to Jake DeBrusk on the prime of the left-wing circle. DeBrusk took a number of steps towards the online, drawing a defender away from Bergeron, who then had house to redirect DeBrusk’s feed by Hellberg from the bumper to tie issues, 2-2, with 5:49 left within the second.
“I think it was just a simple play. Attacking the inside with Jake, coming in, coming down on his off side, taking what’s there, faking the shot. A great play by him,” mentioned Bergeron, whose tally was the 130th power-play objective of his profession, shifting him previous Cam Neely for sole possession of fourth place on the B’s all-time listing.
“I think we had a couple looks there on good shots and good one-timers and whatnot. He made some great saves, but I think our overall was just simplifying what we wanted to do.”
Video: Bergeron speaks with media after 3-1 win over DET
Wait, There’s More
- Per NHL Stats, Dmitry Orlov (3-7-10 in 7 GP) turned the quickest defenseman in Bruins historical past to hit 10 factors with the membership forward of Al Iafrate (4-7-11 in 11 GP, 1993-94); Brad Park (3-8-11 in 11 GP, 1975-76), and Irv Spencer (3-7-10 in 11 GP, 1962-63).
- Linus Ullmark (29 saves) is now 33-4-1 in 40 video games this season. Per NHL Stats, the 33 wins are the second most by a goalie via 40 video games in NHL historical past, behind the B’s Tiny Thompson (35-4-1 in 40 GP, 1929-30).
