The Bruins probably felt a weight lifted off their shoulders Saturday night.
Sure, Boston was officially eliminated from Stanley Cup playoff contention for the first time since 2016 after the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Philadelphia Flyers, the latest disappointment in what’s been a tumultuous season for the B’s.
But the Bruins also defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 5-1 at TD Garden, ending a 10-game losing streak (0-9-1) that sent Boston plummeting down the Eastern Conference standings. And they showed life in the process, with both David Pastrnak and Jeremy Swayman — two veterans remaining from Boston’s trade deadline fire sale — rising to the occasion.
Pastrnak scored his 19th career hat trick — first career natural hat trick — and added two assists in a huge night for Boston’s top line, which also featured Elias Lindholm and Morgan Geekie. Pastrnak now has 40 goals and 54 assists for 94 points this season.
Swayman, meanwhile, stopped 39 of 40 shots, nearly recording a shutout as he secured his 100th career win. It was a huge get-right effort from the Bruins goaltender.
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The Bruins don’t have much time to enjoy the victory, as they’re back in action Sunday night against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center. Puck drop is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET, following a half hour of Bruins pregame coverage on NESN.
Here are the projected lines and defensive pairings for both teams.
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BOSTON BRUINS (31-37-9)
Morgan Geekie — Elias Lindholm — David Pastrnak
Pavel Zacha — Casey Mittelstadt — Fabian Lysell
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Marat Khusnutdinov — Fraser Minten — Vinni Lettieri
Jakub Lauko — John Beecher — Cole Koepke
Nikita Zadorov — Henri JokiharjuParker Wotherspoon — Andrew Peeke
Mason Lohrei — Ian Mitchell
Joonas Korpisalo
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BUFFALO SABRES (33-36-6)
Zach Benson — Jiri Kulich — Tage Thompson
JJ Peterka — Ryan McLeod — Jack Quinn
Jason Zucker — Peyton Krebs — Alex Tuch
Beck Malenstyn — Noah Ostlund — Sam Lafferty
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Mattias Samuelsson — Rasmus DahlinOwen Power — Jacob Bernard-Docker
Bowen Byram — Connor Clifton
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Featured image via James Guillory/Imagn Images
