Dimitry Orlov and David Pastrnak each scored a goal and had two assists as the Boston Bruins used a five-goal third period to blow past the visiting Buffalo Sabres 7-1 on Thursday evening.
With their ninth consecutive win, the Bruins improved to 48-8-5 on the season and became the fastest team in NHL history to record 100 points, doing so in 61 games.
Boston had previously reached the 100-point mark in 63 games in 1971-72 en route to the Stanley Cup. The 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens got there in 62 games. That team also won the Stanley Cup.
Jakub Lauko added to the Boston offense with his second and third career goals, while Pavel Zacha registered a goal and an assist.
Charlie Coyle, Brandon Carlo and David Krejci each recorded two assists.
Patrice Bergeron and Connor Clifton also scored goals and Jeremy Swayman made 26 saves for Boston, which finished with a 42-27 shots advantage and went 1-for-3 on the power play.
The news was not all good for Boston, however, as winger Brad Marchand missed the third period due to a lower-body injury.
Casey Mittelstadt scored the lone goal and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 35 saves as the Sabres dropped their second straight.
Sabres star Tage Thompson had his career-long point streak snapped at seven games.
After a scoreless first period Boston finally drew first blood with 7:59 left in the second. On the power play, Hampus Lindholm set up Orlov for a one-time drive from the right circle.
The Bruins have recorded a point in every game where they have scored first this season, moving to 32-0-3 in such contests.
Lauko extended the Bruins’ lead to 2-0 only 1:26 later, burying Carlo’s rebound from outside the crease.
At 8:35 of the third, Zacha finished off a pretty sequence with fellow Czech linemates Krejci and Pastrnak, slotting home the former’s backhand feed from the slot to the right side.
Pastrnak’s empty-net goal with 5:16 left padded the Bruins lead to 4-0, but Mittelstadt broke Swayman’s bid for a third shutout 1:06 later.
The Bruins then tallied twice in a 24-second span as Bergeron scored short-handed into an empty cage and Clifton took a Garnet Hathaway feed right to the crease with 2:57 to play.
Lauko buried a Coyle rebound for Boston’s seventh goal in the final minute.
–Field Level Media
