The Boston Bruins will celebrate their 100th anniversary as the oldest U.S. team in the NHL by hosting their Centennial Game on Sunday afternoon against their longtime rivals, the Montreal Canadiens.
Before the game, there will be special ceremonies with alumni from past decades and other events. The Bruins are looking for their fourth win in six games under interim head coach Joe Sacco. This game is being played exactly 100 years after the Bruins’ very first game, a 2-1 victory over the Montreal Maroons at Boston Arena, which is now Matthews Arena at Northeastern University.
Goaltender Jeremy Swayman and his teammates understand how important it is to perform well for the Bruins’ past legends, such as Patrice Bergeron, Ray Bourque, Johnny Bucyk, and Willie O’Ree.
“It’s an honor to put this jersey on every single game, and to have those guys in the building — we’ve got to do it right. They made this logo what it is before us,” Swayman said. “It’s going to be really amazing to be a part of (this special game). I know a lot of guys are excited about it. We’re going to honor them the right way.”
The game will be a chance for the Bruins to bounce back after their 2-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday. Charlie Coyle’s goal 1:24 into the game was all the Bruins could manage, just two days after scoring six goals on 21 shots against the New York Islanders.
The Bruins have had trouble scoring, especially at TD Garden, where they have not scored more than two goals in six consecutive home games. They haven’t scored a third-period goal since their season opener on October 10 against the Canadiens, a 6-4 win.
“I would like to think (there is no common theme during the stretch),” Sacco said. “Right now, it’s just a situation where the puck’s not finding its way in the net. We had our chances (on Friday) again, but you have to execute at a higher level, finish off your plays.”
The Bruins hope to break their scoring slump against a Montreal team that has lost three of its last four games, including a 4-3 defeat to the New York Rangers on Saturday. A last-minute, power-play goal was the difference in the game. A double-minor penalty for high-sticking on Kirby Dach led to the deciding goal, leaving Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis frustrated after the game.
“I loved our game, but I’m not going to talk about the refs,” St. Louis said.
Cole Caufield scored one of Montreal’s two goals in the third period and also added an assist, extending his point streak to three games. Nine of his 14 goals this season have come on the road. Mike Matheson, who missed the previous two games with a lower-body injury, and captain Nick Suzuki also scored for Montreal.
“I thought we deserved better. I thought we played better than them,” Suzuki said about the game. “It’s a tough way to end a game that way, giving up a goal that late. Special teams (were) the big difference. We’ve done well in those situations so far this season. We’ll clean it up (for Sunday).”
Suzuki’s goal tied the game at 3-3 with 5:53 left, but the Rangers’ three power-play goals and perfect penalty kill were too much for Montreal to overcome.
After a 24-save performance from Sam Montembeault on Saturday, the Canadiens are expected to start Cayden Primeau in goal against the Bruins. Primeau played college hockey at Northeastern.
