Recap: Ducks Can't Keep Up with Bruins in 7-1 Loss

David Pastrnak scored his 13th career hat trick and six Bruins tallied multi-point nights, helping Boston to a 7-1 victory tonight at Honda Center.
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The loss denied Anaheim its first three-game winning streak of the season and dropped the club to 12-25-4 on the season. The Ducks are also now 3-4-1 heading to the final week of a franchise-record 10-game homestand.
Trevor Zegras scored the lone goal for Anaheim, extending his scoring streak to four games. Ryan Strome and Frank Vatrano added assists. John Gibson made 35 saves in his 27th start of the season.
With three goals, Pastrnak tallied his first hat trick of the season and moved within one of Connor McDavid for the NHL lead (33). David Krejci, Brad Marchand, Charlie Coyle and former Duck Hampus Lindholm also scored for the Bruins, who completed a three-game California sweep and improved to a league-best 32-4-4 (68 points) overall.
Sophomore netminder Jeremy Swayman earned his ninth win of the season, and 39th of his NHL career, with 28 saves.
Boston went ahead first less than four minutes after puck drop, taking the night's initial lead on a one-timed blast by Pastrnak. Krejci, who returned to Boston this season after a one-year NHL hiatus spent playing closer his family in Europe, tracked down an area pass in the corner, circling the net before backhanding a pass of his own right into Pastrnak's wheelhouse, which the explosive winger hammered past Gibson for the early Boston advantage.
With the goal, Pastrnak was the third NHLer to reach 30 this season, joining Connor McDavid and Tage Thompson. He also became the seventh Bruin in franchise history to record six 30-goal seasons in the Black and Gold.
Anaheim appeared to tie the game just minutes later when Zegras swept home a loose puck in the slot as Lindholm pushed the net off its moorings, but the officials ruled the tap-in goal did not count.
Seconds later, Boston took advantage of the questionable good fortune, doubling the lead on an Anaheim defensive zone breakdown when Krejci found open space in the slot and fired one-timer over Gibson's left shoulder.
Skating in his 997th career NHL game, all with Boston, the 37-year-old Krejci's three points secured his 188th career multi-point effort, tying Ken Hodge for ninth in Bruins history.
The Ducks did officially get on the board late in the period, cutting the deficit back to one before the first intermission. Strome took a cross-ice feed from Vatrano in the left wing corner, turning and directing a soft pass to Zegras racing downhill for a one-timer, which he fired by Swayman's blocker side to make it 2-1.

Zegras has points in four straight games (2-2=4) and five of his last six appearances (2-4=6). He co-leads Anaheim in goals, alongside Troy Terry and Adam Henrique, and ranks second among team leaders in scoring (12-19=31) and assists.
Vatrano, a Massachusetts native, has found the scoresheet in each of Anaheim's meetings with Boston this season.
The second period belonged to Pastrnak, who scored twice on the same shift to give the Bruins a commanding three-goal lead.
The first came early in a Boston power play on a second-chance opportunity, as Pastrnak got to the rebound of his blocked shot and then beat Gibson low through the five-hole.
The second hit 17 seconds later after Anaheim turned the puck over in the offensive zone, allowing Pastrnak to catch a stretch pass from defenseman Matt Grezlyck, race ahead on a breakaway and then solve Gibson with a move to the forehand.
The hat trick was the 13th of Pastrnak's career, passing Johnny Bucyk for third-most by a Bruin. Bruins President Cam Neely is second with 14.
Pastrnak has nine goals in his last five games against Anaheim, including tonight's hat trick and a four-goal performance in October 2019.
Unfortunately for Anaheim, the third period would be more of the same as Marchand quieted any hopes of a heroic Ducks comeback with an early insurance marker, retrieving a loose puck behind the net and stuffing it in on a wraparound before Gibson could find it.
Lindholm scored a few minutes later, celebrating once against at his old stomping grounds after beating his former teammate Gibson to the short side from a sharp angle.
Coyle capped the scoring with less than four minutes to play, dancing inside the Anaheim defense and faking a wraparound before stuffing the puck just inside the near post, sealing Boston's 7-1 win.
The Ducks continue their franchise-record 10-game homestand Wednesday against Edmonton.