Chicago captain Jonathan Toews was quick to mention Boston after the Blackhawks’ franchise-record ninth straight victory.
No, not the Bruins.
“We’re kind of feeling like the Boston Celtics,” Toews said, referencing the NBA champion Celtics’ recent 19-game winning streak.
If the two resurgent Original Six teams keep playing like they are now, Toews and his young Chicago teammates could be in for a lot of Bruins talk later, say in late May and early June with the Stanley Cup on the line.
On Sunday in road games, Chicago beat Minnesota 4-1, and Boston held off Atlanta 2-1 for its eighth win a row and a share of the NHL overall lead with San Jose.
“There’s just a sense of calmness,” Toews said. “I think any other team would be excited to be in this situation, and sometimes when you have that momentum you get a little overexcited. We just need to keep our sticks on the ice and keep it simple. We don’t overskate or overdo anything out there.”
The Bruins kept it simple, too. Michael Ryder broke a tie with 6:04 left off a perfect lead pass from David Krejci.
ad the winning goal Saturday night in Carolina. “We’re getting pretty good and creating a lot of offense. We’re doing what we do best and not trying to be too handsome.”
The Bruins (27-5-4) have played one more game than San Jose (27-4-4).
In other NHL games Sunday night, it was: Washington 4, Toronto 1; Anaheim 4, St. Louis 3; Edmonton 5, Nashville 2; and Vancouver 3, Ottawa 0.
Chicago, set to play Detroit in a home-and-home series that includes the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field on Thursday, broke the team record of eight straight victories set in December 1971 and matched in January 1981. The Red Wings handed the Blackhawks their last loss – 5-4 in a shootout in Detroit on Dec. 6.
“Everyone’s talking about the game on Jan. 1, but we’re keeping focused on every upcoming game as if it’s the biggest game of the season,” Toews said.
Dustin Byfuglien led Chicago on Sunday, scoring two goals and adding an assist to help the Blackhawks match San Jose for the longest streak of the season.
Martin Havlat and Kris Versteeg also scored, and Cristobal Huet made 18 saves.
“Nine wins in a row shows something about their team, but they aren’t that good,” Wild center Mikko Koivu said. “They outworked us tonight.”
Cal Clutterbuck had a third-period goal for Minnesota.
irst-period goal. The Bruins have an NHL-high 132 goals, and are tied with Minnesota for the fewest goals allowed with 80.
“Manny bailed us out on a couple of breakaways,” Boston defenseman Aaron Ward said. “We have to understand that we’re no longer under the radar. We’re not going to sneak up on anybody.”
Capitals 4, Maple Leafs 1
At Washington, Alex Ovechkin scored two goals, including the tiebreaker with 10 seconds left in the second period, Brooks Laich also scored twice, and Washington improved its home record to an Eastern Conference-best 15-1-1.
Jose Theodore made 23 saves to win his third consecutive start for Washington, which has won 10 of 12 overall. Add in a six-game home winning streak at the end of last season, and the Capitals have won 21 of their past 23 games in Washington.
Before the game, Washington retired Mike Gartner’s No. 11 jersey.
Niklas Hagman scored for Toronto.
Ducks 4, Blues 3
At St. Louis, Bobby Ryan scored on a power play with 7:11 to play, and Scott Niedermayer had a goal and an assist to help Anaheim snap a three-game losing streak.
Rob Niedermayer and Steve Montador also scored, Ryan Getzlaf had two assists, and Jonas Hiller made 27 saves. David Perron and Keith Tkachuk each had a goal and an assist for St. Louis, and Brad Boyes also scored.
Oilers 5, Predators 2
ves, and Eric Cole had a goal and two assists in Edmonton’s third straight victory.
Sheldon Souray, Shawn Horcoff, Andrew Cogliano and Sam Gagner also scored.
Martin Erat and Shea Weber scored for Nashville. The Predators had won their last nine against the Oilers.
Canucks 3, Senators 0
At Vancouver, British Columbia, Curtis Sanford made 18 saves for his fourth career shutout, and Vancouver handed Ottawa its 12th straight loss on the road.
Henrik Sedin and Pavol Demitra each had a goal and an assist, and defenseman Alex Edler also scored.
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