With a 7-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, the Boston Bruins have become the fastest team to record 100 points in a season in NHL history. The Bruins accomplished the feat in just 61 games and now have a grand total of 101 points.
Boston reached the 100-point mark faster than the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens, who recorded their 100th point in 62 games. When the Canadiens did it, regulation ties were counted and there weren’t any additional points given to teams for overtime or shootout victories like there are in today’s game. It’s a noteworthy difference, as the Bruins have recorded seven points in overtime and shootout wins this season.
On Thursday, Bruins star winger David Pastrnak led the way with a goal and two assists while defenseman Dmitry Orlov also had a goal and two assists in the win. Forward Jakub Lauko also added a pair of goals to pace the Bruins’ offensive attack. In addition, Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman stopped 26 of the 27 shots that he faced to help the team earn their ninth consecutive win.
After a scoreless opening period, Orlov, who has three goals and five assists in four games since joining the team, scored a power-play goal while Lauko added his first goal of the night to give Boston a 2-0 cushion. The Bruins would race out to a 4-0 lead late in the third period after the Sabres pulled goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.
The only blemish on the evening was the fact that Bruins forward Brad Marchand suffered a lower-body injury following a big hit and was forced to miss the third period. However, Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery stated that he believes that Marchand is “going to be all right.”
It was quite the busy day for the Bruins. The team also acquired talented forward Tyler Bertuzzi in a trade from the Detroit Red Wings and signed Pastrnak to an eight-year, $90 million contract extension.
