Elevate your local knowledge

Sign up for the iNFOnews newsletter today!

Select Region

Selecting your primary region ensures you get the stories that matter to you first.

Montreal Canadiens thump Boston Bruins 6-2 in fight-filled affair

Montreal Canadiens thump Boston Bruins 6-2 in fight-filled affair | iNFOnews.ca
Montreal Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj (72) fights Boston Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov (91) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

BOSTON (AP) — Zachary Bolduc scored to give the Canadiens the lead as Montreal scored four goals in a five-minute span to snap a third-period tie and run away from the Boston Bruins 6-2 on Tuesday night.

Sammy Blais, Ivan Demidov, Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky also scored for Montreal. Jacob Fowler stopped 26 shots for the Canadiens in a game that started with fisticuffs but ended with the Bruins going down meekly.

Marat Khusnutdinov and Alex Steeves scored in the first period to give Boston a 2-1 lead, but Demidov tied it two minutes into the second when he swept in to steal a bad pass from Nikita Zadorov to David Pastrnak and skated in on Jeremy Swayman for the goal.

The Bruins had a goal waved off in the final seconds of the second period and it was still 2-2 when Zadorov broke his stick while trying to clear the zone and left the puck for Bolduc.

The Canadiens winger passed the puck and then followed up to knock home a rebound to make it 3-2. Caufield scored on a power play 99 seconds later, and Suzuki scored with a two-man advantage.

Swayman stopped 23 shots for the Bruins.

Boston killed a four-minute power play when Steeves was sent off for a high-sticking double minor late in the second, and then appeared to take the lead with 5 seconds left in the period, but Elias Lindholm’s goal after a scramble in the crease was waved off for goaltender interference.

Up next

The Canadiens face Tampa Bay on Sunday.

The Bruins visit Buffalo on Saturday.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Montreal Canadiens thump Boston Bruins 6-2 in fight-filled affair | iNFOnews.ca
Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) looks back at the puck on a goal by Montreal Canadiens’ Sammy Blais during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Montreal Canadiens thump Boston Bruins 6-2 in fight-filled affair | iNFOnews.ca
Boston Bruins center Marat Khusnutdinov (92) scores on Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jacob Fowler (32) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Montreal Canadiens thump Boston Bruins 6-2 in fight-filled affair | iNFOnews.ca
Montreal Canadiens right wing Ivan Demidov (93) scores on Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

News from © The Associated Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

Create a free account

The Associated Press

Jimmy Golen

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.

Related Articles