David Pastrnak recorded a hat trick and season-high five points as the Boston Bruins ended their 10-game losing streak with an emphatic 5-1 win over the visiting Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night.
Pastrnak finished off the trick when he took Morgan Geekie's cross-ice pass and slithered to the front of the net with 4:42 left in regulation. The star winger had points in each period, reaching the 40-goal and 90-point plateaus on the night.
Pastrnak, Geekie (one goal, three assists) and linemate Elias Lindholm (one goal, one assist) combined for 11 of Boston's 13 points.
Jeremy Swayman made 14 of his 40 stops in the middle frame to help the Bruins to their first win since March 11.
Carolina (46-26-4, 96 points) broke Swayman's shutout bid when Justin Robidas scored his first NHL goal with 54.2 seconds left in the third.
Frederik Andersen stopped 21 shots for the Hurricanes, who have lost back-to-back games following a three-game win streak.
After both teams came up empty on the power play in the first period, the Bruins netted two goals on three shots in a late 58-second span and carried a 2-0 lead into the intermission. Geekie tallied first at 18:49, firing a shot from above the left circle that snuck in five-hole.
Lindholm doubled the Boston lead with 12.8 seconds left, punching home a Pastrnak feed that was initially saved as the puck bounced off his skate outside the goal crease.
After setting up the first two goals, Pastrnak scored his first when he skated the puck out of the slot to create space and slipped home a no-angle shot from along the goal line at 10:14 of the second.
Just 1:28 into the third, Boston's top-line wingers made another connection to up the lead to 4-0. Pastrnak scored his second straight goal, batting a Geekie feed out of the air and past Andersen after he drove down the right wing and cut to the opposite post.
While the Bruins' offense built the three-goal cushion, Swayman made several strong saves to keep the Hurricanes off the scoreboard. His blocker stop on Tyson Jost with 4:24 left in the first helped set up the Bruins' opportunity to take the lead.
The Boston goaltender continued to stay sharp, flashing the glove for a save on Taylor Hall with 5:30 to go in the second before stopping a partial break-in from Eric Robinson halfway through the third.
Bruins Officially Eliminated from Playoff Contention
The Boston Bruins are nearing the end of a disastrous 2024-25 season, and they will not see postseason hockey for the first time since 2016. The Bruins have been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention thanks to a Montreal Canadiens victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.
With a brutal 31-37-9 record, the Bruins are in last place in the Eastern Conference in April for the first time since 1997. A recent 10-game losing streak is the longest they’ve gone without a win in over a decade and there has been no shortage of drama all season long.
From tension-filled contract negotiations with goalie Jeremy Swayman, to firing their head coach, to trading away their now-former captain Brad Marchand, the Bruins haven’t had any fun in 2024-25.
Swayman and the Bruins eventually came to an agreement on a new eight-year contract extension, but the first year didn’t go as planned. In 54 games played, Swayman has a 21-28-6 record with a league-leading 164 goals allowed.
Superstar forward David Pastrnak is still at the top of his game and leading the Bruins in every way possible. In 76 games, he has 37 goals and 52 assists for 89 total points, each of which are the best marks on the team.
The Bruins waved the white flag at the trade deadline sending away Marchand, Charlie Coyle, Trent Frederic, and Brandon Carlo.
Just two seasons ago, the Bruins made NHL history with the most wins in a single season with 65. With a roster that has been nearly completely overturned, the Bruins have fallen back to Earth hard.
The 2024-25 season will be the Bruins third time missing the playoffs since 2007. They’ve been one of the NHL’s best teams for nearly two decades, and are hopeful this season is just a one-off and can get right back to their winning ways next year.
