BOSTON — David Pastrnak and Ryan Spooner each scored an early goal, Tuukka Rask stopped 21 shots and the Bruins beat Montreal 4-1 Wednesday night in Canadiens coach Claude Julien’s return to Boston.

The surging Bruins have earned at least a point in 14 straight games (10-0-4), their longest stretch since going 15-0-1 in March 2014.

Brad Marchand added a power-play goal in the third period, David Krejci had an empty-netter and Patrice Bergeron had two assists for Boston, which posted its second win over the Canadiens in five days. The teams meet again in Montreal on Saturday night.

Jakub Jerabek scored his first NHL goal for Montreal, and Carey Price made 28 saves.

Julien, who coached Boston’s Stanley Cup-winning team in 2011, was fired last Feb. 7 in his 10th season. He was replaced by assistant and current Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy, who opted for more up-tempo, charge-into-the-zone play from his defensemen as opposed to Julien’s mostly defensive-minded style.

Rask extended his career-best point streak to 15 games (13-0-2), including a 4-3 shootout win at Montreal last Saturday.

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Trailing 1-0, Boston tied it 6:50 into the first when Pastrnak took a pass from Bergeron at the bottom of the left circle and slipped a wrister behind Price.

The Bruins took the lead early in the second when Spooner’s backhander from just outside the crease caromed into the net off the right skate of Montreal winger Jonathan Drouin.

Montreal had a two-man power-play advantage for 69 seconds midway into the second — immediately after Rask made a pad-stop on Drouin’s clean break in — but Boston limited the Canadiens’ shots to mostly lower-percentage chances from the outside.

Marchand’s team-leading 19th goal came 3:40 into the period.

Jerabek’s shot from the left point found its way through a group of players in front and slipped into the net 31 seconds into the game.

Julien got a brief ovation during a video tribute midway into the opening period, but the crowd’s chance for prolonged applause was drowned out by loud music until the next faceoff.

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HOCKEY PIONEER Willie O’Ree was honored before the game on the 60th anniversary him breaking the NHL’s color barrier.

At a news conference at the TD Garden before the Bruins game against the Montreal Canadiens, Mayor Marty Walsh declared Jan. 18, 2018 to be “Willie O’Ree Day”. O’Ree made his debut in 1958 during a 3-0 victory against the Canadiens at the Forum in Montreal.

Walsh called O’Ree a Boston legend who changed the city for the better and thanked him for his courage. As part of the celebration, the city dedicated a new street hockey rink in the Allston-Brighton neighborhood to be known as Willie O’Ree Rink.

The 82-year-old O’Ree received a loud applause while he walked to center ice for a ceremonial puck drop between captains Zdeno Chara of Boston and Max Pacioretty of the Canadiens. Wearing his No. 22 on his Bruins jersey, O’Ree tipped his black fedora to the crowd.

Both teams wore patches with a ’60’ centered in a circle, the NHL logo on top, ‘Willie’ on one side and ‘O’Ree’ the other with ‘anniversary’ scrolled across the bottom. The same design was on the ice behind both goals.

Despite being legally blind in one eye, O’Ree dressed for the Bruins and stepped onto the ice at the Montreal Forum on Jan. 18, 1958. He played two games with Boston before being sent to the minors. He returned to the NHL in the 1960-61 season, scoring four goals with 10 assists in 43 games before being traded to Montreal. He spent a total of 21 years in pro hockey.

For the past two decades, O’Ree has served as the NHL’s Diversity Ambassador, spreading the message that hockey is for everyone.


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