Anaheim Ducks’ Mason McTavish (37) shoots under defense by Boston Bruins’ David Krejci (46) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Anaheim Ducks’ Troy Terry (19) loses his balance as he skates past Boston Bruins’ Derek Forbort (28) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Anaheim Ducks’ Max Comtois (44) moves the puck under pressure by Boston Bruins’ Charlie McAvoy (73) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Boston Bruins’ Connor Clifton (75) and Anaheim Ducks’ Simon Benoit (13) vie for the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Anaheim Ducks’ Simon Benoit (13) tries to score against Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Boston Bruins’ Tomas Nosek (92) pressures Anaheim Ducks’ Sam Carrick (39) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) makes a save as Anaheim Ducks’ Jakob Silfverberg (33) watches during the first period of an NHL hockey game Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Anaheim Ducks players celebrate a goal by Trevor Zegras during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Boston Bruins Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Boston Bruins’ Brandon Carlo (25) checks Anaheim Ducks’ Troy Terry (19) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Boston Bruins’ David Pastrnak (88) sends the puck into the net past Anaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson (36) to score a hat-trick goal during the second period of an NHL hockey game Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Boston Bruins’ David Pastrnak (88) celebrates his hat-trick goal with teammates during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Anaheim Ducks Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Boston Bruins’ David Pastrnak (88) celebrates his hat-trick goal with teammates during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Anaheim Ducks Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Anaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson (36) makes a save against Boston Bruins’ Taylor Hall (71) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Boston Bruins’ Charlie Coyle (13) moves the puck under pressure by Anaheim Ducks’ Jayson Megna (7) during the second period of an NHL hockey game Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Boston Bruins’ Hampus Lindholm (27) moves the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Anaheim Ducks Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Boston Bruins’ David Pastrnak (88) looks to pass the puck as Anaheim Ducks’ Cam Fowler (4) falls to the ice during the second period of an NHL hockey game Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Boston Bruins’ David Pastrnak (88) celebrates his hat-trick goal with teammates during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Anaheim Ducks Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Boston Bruins goaltenders Jeremy Swayman (1) and Linus Ullmark celebrate the team’s 7-1 win against the Anaheim Ducks in an NHL hockey game Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Boston Bruins’ Hampus Lindholm (27) and Patrice Bergeron (37) celebrate the team’s 7-1 win against the Anaheim Ducks in an NHL hockey game Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Boston Bruins goaltenders Jeremy Swayman (1) and Linus Ullmark celebrate the team’s 7-1 win against the Anaheim Ducks in an NHL hockey game Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Boston Bruins players celebrate a goal by Brad Marchand during the third period of an NHL hockey game Anaheim Ducks Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
ANAHEIM — How does the 30th-ranked team in the NHL have a chance against No. 1?
“We have to play a perfect game,” Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said hours before the Ducks took the ice against Boston on Sunday.
What unfolded was the one player approaching perfection at Honda Center happened to be Bruins forward David Pastrnak, whose hat trick and assist led Boston to a 7-1 win against the Ducks. The Bruins (32-4-4) extended their point streak to 14 games (11-0-3).
Pastrank broke open a tight game with two goals in a 17-span in the second period, extending a 2-1 lead to a 4-1 margin. With Ducks forward Ryan Strome in the penalty box for tripping, Pastrnak beat Ducks goalie John Gibson with a shot from the left circle at 11:56, and completed the hat trick with a breakaway at 12:13. The hats hit the ice from Bruins fans in the arena, a happy and loud contingent. “It seemed like a home game for them,” Ducks forward Adam Henrique said.
Consistency, or lack of it, has been a continuing issue for the Ducks (12-25-4). They have had back-to-back wins three times this season but have been unable to put together a three-game winning streak in the first half.
“We didn’t show up,” forward Max Comtois said. “We didn’t play good. We let Gibby down and that’s the end result. Consistency has been our issue the whole year and it hasn’t stopped apparently.”
He didn’t buy the idea that it required a perfect game, or close to it, to beat the Bruins.
“Who did we beat this year? Dallas, New York, I think can play with those teams,” Comtois said.
But the homestand has reflected the huge up-and-down swings of the Ducks’ season. Strong performances against Vegas and Dallas and then clunkers against Nashville and Philadelphia.
“It shows a number of things,” Ducks coach Dallas Eakins said. “The mistakes we made were big ones. Through two periods, it’s 4-1 and we had maybe made five mistakes in the period and three of them end up in our net.
“We can’t make those mistakes. You can’t. We put our team, put our goaltender, put everybody in a tough situation. The other thing I think it does, is it really shows that’s the most-elite team in our league. They’re No. 1 by far. There’s no one even on their heels challenging them for the first spot in the league.”
It’s been quite a 24 hours for Pastrnak – with five goals in that span, as he scored twice against the Sharks in San Jose on Saturday night. The five goals in two games over the weekend pushed his season total to 32, one behind the league leader Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers.
“He (Pastrnak) is up there but those guys over there have a high standard,” Henrique said. “
To say Pastrnak excels against the Ducks is an understatement. He scored a career-high four goals against the Ducks on Oct. 14, 2019 in Boston, a 4-2 win by the Bruins. In 14 career games against the Ducks he has 16 points (10 goals, six assists).
The lone Ducks goal came from Ducks forward Trevor Zegras, finishing off a nice passing play, at 16:55 of the first period, cutting the Bruins’ lead to 2-1. Boston had taken a 2-0 lead within the first 10 minutes of the game – Pastrnak at 3:49 and David Krejci at 9:46.
“When that puck is on his stick it’s dangerous,” Eakins said of Pastrnak. “Obviously him and McDavid are two totally different players. You look at his first goal where we turned up with him, the puck got reset and he literally got three feet of separation and it was on his stick and it was off. It’s in the net. Those guys, you just have to stick to them like velcro.”
It was the first game back at Honda Center for Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm, who was traded from the Ducks to Boston in March. There was an appreciation video during one of the TV timeouts in the first period, and Lindholm, who played the first 582 games of his NHL career with the Ducks, received a warm round of applause.
He admitted the day was a little “weird,” when he arrived at the rink adding: “I got lost walking around to the locker room. I didn’t even know where to go. So, it was a different feeling, but happy with the two points and the process.”
Lindholm punctuated the occasion with his fifth goal of the season to make it 6-1, scoring from a sharp angle at 11:26 of the third.
“In the third, we just unscrewed our brains,” Eakins said.
