NHL: Montreal Canadiens at Boston Bruins
Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

The Montreal Canadiens faced the Boston Bruins on Thursday night, aiming to head into the holiday break with as much momentum as possible.

Even though these two teams always provide an honest effort when facing each other, it was Montreal that reigned supreme on this particular night, emerging with a well-deserved 6-2 win.

Let’s dive into the highlights!

Rivalry Renewed

The game started in the exact same manner as when these teams met in November, though it was Josh Anderson and Tanner Jeannot who exchanged blows this time around.

It set the pace for what would be a rather physical encounter between the two longtime rivals.

The bout was followed up by a second fight, featuring Arber Xhekaj and Nikita Zadorov, which lasted almost an entire minute. For those of you that have never been involved in a fight, holding onto another person, let alone throwing punches, for a minute is very, very tiring.

Full marks to Zadarov for winning the fight, although Xhekaj did a good job staying in it, despite giving up a lot of height and weight to his opponent.

And A Hockey Game Broke Out

Samuel Blais scored his first goal in a Canadiens uniform, though it must be said that he’s played well regardless of his production level. It’s still early, but I’d argue Blais should never have been assigned to the minors in the first place.

He hits, he skates, and he offers a solid effort every shift.

Ivan Demidov was the next to find the back of the net, his ninth of the year. It took place after a rather ugly turnover by the Bruins, and a smart move by Demidov once he was certain there were no pass options available.

The Bruins scored two goals, but Montreal responded in kind, with their top players doing the damage. First, Cole Caufield found the back of the net, then captain Nick Suzuki, and finally, Juraj Slafkovsky.

All things considered, it was a heck of a team effort from a team that doesn’t always do a great job securing their identity.

On some nights, the Habs are a dominant force, on others, they look like a team that would be threatened by relegation if such a system were in place.

Thankfully, on Thursday night, we saw the dominant version of the Habs.

The Montreal Canadiens will be back in action on Sunday, December 28, versus the Tampa Bay Lightning. The puck drop is scheduled for 7 pm ET.

All Montreal Canadiens Statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Stat Trick.

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By Marc Dumont
Marc has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for Journal Metro, The Athletic, The ... More about Marc Dumont

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