If Tuesday night’s last-second 4-3 loss to the Anaheim Ducks left a sour taste in your mouth, the Boston Bruins’ 5-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on Thursday undoubtedly washed that away.
The Bruins played a solid 60 minutes of hockey as Craig Smith secured his third career hat trick to pace the offense, while goaltender Jeremy Swayman won his fifth start in a row.
Without key cogs like Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty and Alec Martinez, Vegas looked out of sync, despite goals from Jonathan Marchessault and Jack Eichel. The Golden Knights weren’t sharp with the puck, and the opportunistic Bruins took advantage.