Bruins Set Record for Consecutive Home Wins to Start a Season

BOSTON - After 99 years of hockey, it's hard to make history.
The Bruins, however, have done just that.
With their convincing 5-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday night at TD Garden, he Black & Gold have won nine consecutive games on home ice to start the 2022-23 campaign, the longest such streak in Boston hockey lore and just three wins shy of tying the NHL record.

"I think it says a lot, right? It's a 9-0 start here at TD Garden, which is the best in history, and for a [historic] team like this, Original Six, I think it says a lot. I'm proud to be part of this group…try to enjoy our moment with the guys," said Tomas Nosek, who buried an empty-netter and was one of five different goal scorers for Boston.
In addition to their sizzling start on Causeway Street, the Bruins have been nearly as dominant on the road, putting them at 14-2-0 to this point of the season, thanks to a brand of team-first hockey that has been a point of pride throughout the dressing room.
"We're playing for each other," said Pavel Zacha, who buried his third goal of the season off a give-and-go from Hampus Lindholm in the third period to put Boston up, 3-1. "There's great leadership in the locker room and relationships with the coaches and everyone. It's been a great start. We just have to keep playing the same way and keep getting better…I think we had a great third period. We have to get better a little bit at the start of the games, getting better within season."
That was a point that all the Bruins who spoke after the game made sure to emphasize: while the season has started just about as well as anyone could have imagined, there is no room to begin feeling content.
"I think it's a special group, and we have to keep that going. It's still early in the season. For us, we talked about the process, we talked about building our game, and we've got to continue doing that," said Patrice Bergeron, whose power-play tally from the bumper late in the first period was his 997th career point. "Obviously a great start to our season, but it's about building and keep getting better.
"I think there are some areas we have to be better and keep working on…teams are going to be ready for us and expecting big games out of us, so we've got to come out with that same mentality and that same mentality every time."

Lindholm, who recorded his second three-assist game of the season, was encouraged by how well the Bruins embraced that outlook on Sunday night as they enhanced their effort from the night before in Buffalo.
"I think also it's learning. Like in Buffalo, I think we didn't have the best start, and tonight I think we came out hard and just learning from those little things," said Lindholm. "It's a long season. It's a process, like what I was trying to say here - it's good that we can learn quick and adapt like that."

A Night for Nosek

It had been 10 long months for Tomas Nosek.
The veteran centerman had not scored since Jan. 2 against Detroit, a span of 65 games, before breaking through against the Canucks. And although it was an empty-netter - which made it 5-2 with 1:58 remaining - the 30-year-old was just pleased to snap what seemed like an endless drought.
"It felt very good, I'm not going to lie," said Nosek. "It's been a long time, but it's over now. I'm happy and we can keep focused on the games now, not just that feeling of when it's going to come and when I'm going to score. I'm just glad it's over and just focusing on the game now."
Nosek admitted that, while his job description is not focused on racking up goals, the streak was hard to ignore.
"I mean you are a forward - I know it's not my main job to score goals, but it is important, too, to score some goals at least once in a while," he said. "Sometimes it was frustrating, but how I said before I just try to keep my head in the game and focus on my game and now it's over and I'm glad it's over."
Nosek became the 20th different goal scorer for the Bruins this season.
"Again, it goes to the depth in our team," said coach Jim Montgomery. "We have a lot of players, and everyone is cheering for each other. No one is worried about what they're not getting or what they're missing out on. It's everyone's cheering for each other, and that's why it's a special group in there, and, I think, that's why we've had the success that we've had. It's more the attitude than it is the structure and the Xs and Os."

The empty-netter, however, was not Nosek's only first of the evening. After Canucks defenseman Kyle Burroughs delivered a heavy check on David Pastrnak around the nine-minute mark of the first period, Nosek expressed his displeasure and engaged with Burroughs along the boards, before tackling him to the ice. And while no real punches were thrown, Nosek was assessed his first career fighting major - as well as a two-minute minor for instigating and a 10-minute misconduct.
"[Pastrnak's] my friend, he's my teammate, he's our star," said Nosek. "That's what makes us a good team, I think, is when we step up and play for each other - it doesn't matter who it is. I was there so I did the job."
And for that, the Czechia native's teammates showered him with praise.
"It's well deserved," said Bergeron. "I think he's been playing great hockey all year, and to get rewarded like that - I know it was weighing on him a little bit lately, and it's always nice to get that one behind you and look forward. But just stepping up for his teammate there, it's something that we all recognize as teammates."
"Nose has been a key player on this team for [two] years here now," added Lindholm. "Every night he brings it, and it was so fun to see him go out there and stand up for Pasta and then also get the goal. It looked like he'd done that a million times."
"I think he played a great game," said Zacha, a fellow Czechia native. "He had a lot of chances the last couple games, so I think it's great for him. It's fun to see him scoring goals…when you see how we are in the locker room and everyone play for each other…seeing that [fight], it was great. It helped us to start a game, and a great job from him."
Montgomery, who has relied on Nosek all season long, particularly as one of his top penalty killers, also had glowing remarks for the performance of his fourth-line center.
"He's been tremendous for us all year long, and he's the reason our penalty kill is No. 1 in the league," said Montgomery. "He's a big part of it, him and Charlie Coyle up front first every penalty kill. You could tell the bench was really excited for him…everybody was rubbing his head and yelling his name when he scored that goal. He sacrifices a lot for the team and he maybe he's a microcosm of what our team is.
"We play for each other really well. It's very evident. Him jumping in right away - Nosek's not a guy who fights, but these guys don't want to see anyone take advantage of their teammates. That's a great quality to have as a team."

Wait, There's More

By the Numbers