Troiani Rink Report

The Boston Bruins defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 in a heated game between the two Original Six rivals Saturday night at Centre Bell.

Viktor Arvidsson potted the game-winning goal at 16:51 of the second period in a game filled with 56 penalty minutes — including two title bouts between Nikita Zadorov and Jayden Struble and Tanner Jeannot and Arber Xhekaj in the first four minutes of the tilt.

The win came at a price, however, as top defenseman Charlie McAvoy exited midway through the second period after receiving a slap shot from Noah Dobson to the face. McAvoy immediately covered his face and dropped to the ice, while a team doctor rushed from the bench to help him.

Bruins head coach Marco Sturm told reporters after the game that McAvoy was undergoing testing at the arena after the Bruins’ win, but did not know whether McAvoy had been taken to a hospital. He was hopeful McAvoy could fly to Boston with his teammates postgame. NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman confirmed McAvoy did fly home with his teammates.

In addition, Arvidsson suffered a lower-body injury late in the third and will miss “some time,” Sturm added.

The Bruins and Canadiens swapped opening period goals from Marat Khusnutdinov and Jake Evans before Boston opened up a two-goal lead in the second on tallies from Mason Lohrei and Arvidsson. Cole Caufield got Montreal within one with 76 seconds remaining in the middle period.

Jeremy Swayman turned aside 26 Canadiens’ shots, including nine in the final 20 minutes of regulation, to preserve the 3-2 win. It was Swayman’s fifth straight victory between the pipes, dating back to Nov. 1 against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Here are more notes from Boston’s win over Montreal:
— David Pastrnak had two assists in Boston’s win for his ninth multipoint game this season. He became the third player in Bruins franchise history to record an 11-game point streak against the rival Canadiens, joining Bobby Orr and Herb Cain.

— The Bruins’ penalty kill was perfect in the win, killing off all seven of Montreal’s power plays, including two 5-on-3 —  one for 1:28, the other for 1:50.

— With his goal in the second period, Lohrei has four points in four games since returning from his five straight healthy scratches.

— Boston returns home for one game Monday night when they host the Carolina Hurricanes at TD Garden before heading out West for a four-game road trip that ends in New York the night before Thanksgiving against the Islanders.

Puck drop from TD Garden from Causeway is slated for 7 p.m. ET on NESN and 98.5 The Sports Hub.

More Bruins: Off the Post: David Pastrnak’s Milestone Lifts Bruins Past Leafs