BOSTON — The Bruins were in the midst of a 10-game losing streak entering Saturday. Their backs were against the wall when it came to the Stanley Cup Playoffs and were playing a team firmly in the playoff picture.
Still, the TD Garden crowd came ready. Those in attendance were loud all night, cheering loudly for the goals and big plays. If they knew the Bruins’ playoff chances were hanging in the balance, they certainly didn’t act like it.
The Bruins gave the home crowd something to cheer about, as well. Boston beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-1 thanks in part to a David Pastrnak hat trick, a combined 13 points from him, Morgan Geekie and Elias Lindholm and a 39-save performance for Jeremy Swayman — who was 0-7-0 in his last seven games entering Saturday.
“So good to see the Garden happy again. It’s a feeling we missed,” Swayman said. “And it’s addicting, so we’re not going to let that happen again.
Swayman wasn’t the only one to notice how loud the crowd was.
“It’s fun to win a hockey game and see the Garden happy and cheerful, being loud,” Pastrnak said. “Obviously, it’s been a tough couple of weeks, so it’s good on us. I’m proud of the group. The effort and commitment to win today was there.”
The Bruins put forth a full 60-minute effort on Saturday. After weeks of things not clicking in any aspect, Boston looked like a playoff team. From top to bottom, things were going right.
“They stick with us through the ups and downs and that’s something that I’ll always keep close to my heart, even through the tough days,” Swayman said. “Seeing people out in public and knowing that they have belief in us as a group (it) completely shuts out all the noise around us.”
Despite Pastrnak’s hat trick, Swayman’s performance and the 10-game losing streak coming to an end, the Bruins still had to face the reality of getting eliminated from playoff contention after the Montreal Canadiens beat the Philadelphia Flyers.
“We’ll use it as motivation to be even better in the upcoming days and next season,” Pastrnak said.
