Recap: Full-team effort propels Bruins to 5-2 win over Canucks

It was a full team effort as the Boston Bruins defeated the Vancouver Canucks, 5-2, at the TD Garden tonight.

The Bruins saw contributions across the board as five different players registered goals, with Connor Clifton kicking the scoring off and Tomas Nosek adding his first of the season to cap the night.

Linus Ullmark made 29 saves in the victory that kept the Bruins’ win streak at home alive.

Here are the highlights!

First period:

The Bruins opened the scoring at 7:17 of the first period.

Taylor Hall skated a wide circle from the slot and around the back of the net to then find Clifton pinched down inside the right-wing circle for a one-timer past Thatcher Demko. 1-0 Bruins.

The Canucks evened the game at 9:05 of the first period on the power play.

After a blue line to blue line pass from Quinn Hughes, J.T. Miller powered into the offensive zone to slide the puck low past Ullmark’s right skate. 1-1 game.

The Bruins took the lead at 17:29 of the second period with a power-play goal.

David Pastrnak hit Patrice Bergeron in the bumper spot where he redirected the pass over Demko’s glove. 2-1 Bruins.

Second period:

The Bruins took a two-goal lead at 11:19 of the second period.

After a long pass from Clifton, Pavel Zacha skated into the offensive zone with the puck for a little give-and-go passing with Hampus Lindholm who then found Zacha low inside the right-circle for a one-timer past Demko’s glove. 3-1 Bruins.

The Bruins added another power-play goal and cushioned their lead at 17:23 of the second period.

Pastrnak found Brad Marchand unmanned inside the right-wing circle where he went top-shelf over Demko’s glove with a quick wrist shot just 12 seconds into the man-advantage. 4-1 Bruins.

Third period:

The Canucks cut into their deficit with their second power-play goal of the night at 4:34 of the second period.

Sheldon Dries collected the puck along the boards and threw a shot on net that found its way past Ullmark. 4-2 game.

Nosek scored a shorthanded, empty-net goal at 18:02 to top off the win and make the final score, 5-2 Bruins.

Game notes:

• The Bruins closed out their back-to-back weekend with another win. Unlike against the Buffalo Sabres when they snoozed for part of the game, the Bruins were awake for this one. Five different players contributed goals with 11 players total registering at least a point. The B’s are now up to 19 different goal scorers - on their active roster - through the first 16 games of the season.
• And two of the goals tonight were on the power play. Patrice Bergeron now has three power-play goals in four games. All five of Marchand’s goals this season have come on the man-advantage.
• The B’s remain undefeated at home, improving to 9-0-0. They have set a franchise record for consecutive home wins to begin a season, the Bruins announced via Twitter.
• They’ve won 14 of the 16 games so far and it’s a historic start for the club. Winning 13 of the first 15 yesterday had put them at their best start since 1929, SportsCenter reported.
• Clifton netted his second goal in three games. He’s already accumulated eight points this season, nearly a third of his total career points in this season alone. With the goal tonight, he’s tied how many he got all of last year.
• Tomas Nosek scored for the first time since Jan. 2, 2021. His empty-netter was a long shot from the defensive zone while on the penalty kill in the game’s final minutes. Nosek has been a big part of the penalty kill so it was fitting he was able to get that one while shorthanded. His goal put him on a three-game point streak with one goal and two assists.
• Tonight was Hampus Lindholm’s third time this season with three assists in a game. (In the first game with three assists, he also scored). He also had his most shots on goal against the Canucks at six. Lindholm’s primary assist on Zacha’s goal was perfectly timed. He had another play where a pass missed a stick out front and it landed on his at the blue line and he quickly had a play out of it. Lindholm is exciting to watch and see what he’s able to create on the offensive side with this team.
• There were two fights in the first period. Nosek’s was the first of his career and he responded to a hit on David Pastrnak by Kyle Burroughs in the neutral zone. A.J. Greer then dropped the gloves on Vasily Podkolzin and was fired up after it, getting the crowd’s backing. Podkolzin went straight down the tunnel after it and the Canucks later announced he would not return to play.
• The Bruins switched things up on their power play tonight. They had been going with a five-forward power play, but Head Coach Jim Montgomery said Vancouver’s style made them change their format back to four forwards and one defenseman - and it worked.
• The Bruins next play on Thursday, Nov. 17, as they host the Philadelphia Flyers at 7 p.m.