(Boston) Danton Heinen scored with 54.4 seconds left in the first period and the Boston Bruins led 3-2 against the Montreal Canadiens after 20 minutes of play, Saturday night at TD Garden.
Heinen was lucky when Matt Grzelcyk’s shot deflected against his skate at the mouth of the net before crossing the goal line.
Cole Caufield opened the scoring for the Canadian on a power play at 9:18. He thus hit the target in a fifth game in a row – a personal best.
Brandon Carlo responded for the Bruins at 12:47, scoring off a pass from Trent Frederic during a two-on-two attack.
Joel Armia then took advantage of a feed from Joshua Roy to score his eighth goal of the season at 15:00 and give the Canadian a 2-1 lead.
Jake DeBrusk tied the game 2-2 with 1:50 left on the clock. He threaded the needle on his way back to the net.
Samuel Montembeault was the busier of the two goalkeepers. He made nine saves in front of the Canadian’s net, including a few spectacular ones.
At the other end of the ice, Linus Ullmark stopped six shots.
The Canadian has lost his last six matches in Boston. His last road victory against the Bruins dates back to January 14, 2019.
Before the meeting, the Bruins honored the members of the 1987-88 edition, which ended a 45-year “curse” without beating the Canadian in the playoffs.
Forward Josh Anderson was back in the Habs lineup after a four-game absence due to a lower-body injury. Jesse Ylönen was left out.
The Canadian will play their next game on Tuesday, when they host the Ottawa Senators at the Bell Centre.