Canadiens score 4 in the 3rd period to turn fight-filled game against rival Bruins into a laugher

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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 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 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)

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9:56 PM on Tuesday, December 23

By JIMMY GOLEN

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.

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