Recap: Bruins top Flyers, 4-1, in offense-dominated win

The lineup is taking shape.

The Boston Bruins defeated the Philadelphia Flyers, 4-1, as the B’s held on to the lead in the third period to close out the win Tuesday night at the TD Garden.

The B’s lineup, filled with a near opening night roster preview, did not disappoint as they set an early pace with offensive-minded play and dominated all zones.

Here are the highlights!

First period:

The Bruins opened the scoring at 9:57 of the first period.

Nikita Zadorov carried the puck down low to find Justin Brazeau out front. Brazeau redirected the puck and slid it five-hole past Samuel Ersson. 1-0 Bruins.

Second period:

The Flyers tied the game at 9:44 of the second period.

Brandon Bussi made an initial save on Matvei Michkov, but Travis Konecny picked up the rebound out front for a quick tap past Bussi. 1-1 game.

Third period:

The Bruins scored on the power play at 7:50 of the third period.

The B’s got the puck moving fast as David Pastrnak slid a pass to Pavel Zacha on the goal line. Zacha then found Tyler Johnson for a one-timer past Ersson’s stick. 2-1 Bruins.

The Bruins potted a pair of empty-net goals 20 seconds apart at 18:35 and 18:55 of the third period to close out the game. Charlie Coyle netted the first one while Mark Kastelic tallied the second goal. Final score: 4-1 Bruins.

Game notes

• The Bruins had a strong start and finish to the preseason game against the Flyers and were engaged in all zones. The B’s dominated the first period with 17 shots on net to the Flyers’ four. It felt like a game of keep away for the Bruins as the Flyers barely touched the puck in the first period. And the forwards crashed the net with guys like Brazeau and Morgan Geekie at the top of the paint trying to tip in shots.
• Jim Montgomery thought the team managed the game well and were committed to checking which led to sustained offensive zone time. He liked how they recovered from an OK second period to close out the win.
• While Bussi wasn’t challenged too much facing only 14 SOG, he made some high-quality saves. Montgomery said Bussi was reading plays well as they developed and aggressive.
• Brad Marchand only played 4:12 minutes tonight. He did not return to start the second period. Montgomery said Marchand wasn’t feeling well the past couple of days, but it’s likely just a bug.
• But because Marchand was out, it allowed the Bruins to move guys around and play all positions, giving them more ice time and different looks. A draw back though was not seeing Marchand on the power play.
• One of those guys getting more of a look was Tyler Johnson who netted the game winner. Montgomery said he’s improved throughout camp and encouraged by the subtle plays he makes.
• Expect to see a similar lineup with some minor tweaks against the LA Kings. Montgomery said they’ll continue to build their game and work on parts of their game that he feels are slow. At the same time, “there are guys fighting for spots,” during this stretch Montgomery said.
• The Bruins will face the Kings on Thursday at Centre Videotron in Quebec City before closing out the preseason on Saturday against the Washington Capitals.