Bruins hold on for 4-3 win in Newark

In Newark, the Boston Bruins hit for four goals in the middle frame on Friday night, and then held off the New Jersey Devils’ third period push to take a 4-3 win.The Bruins enter the break with 56 points, the most in the NHL.

“I don’t even know if I let my head go there,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said when asked if he ever considered his team could be No. 1 at the holiday break. “It was more about us starting the year off well and then building every day. I think the confidence has just grown. We’re deep and we can come at people wave after wave.”

Jack Hughes had given New Jersey a 1-0 lead in the first period before the Bruins struck for their total offense in the second period.

David Pastrnak scored a double in the outburst.

“I’m having a lot of fun and the puck is going in,” Pastrnak said. “I’ve been shooting a lot. I’m just happy that it’s going in. The whole team is doing well and that helps us have confidence. When every line is doing well that helps you as an individual.”

Linus Ullmark made 36 saves in the Boston win.

The Bruins improved to 27-4-2.

Patrice Bergeron tied the game, 1-1, in the second period.

Pastrnak scored twice for a 3-1 lead to the Bruins.

Jake DeBrusk scored to give the Bruins a 4-1 lead that seemed safe for the rest of the match.

“I just tried to get myself a little bit space towards the net and knew I had to elevate it,” DeBrusk said. “It was a great play by [Marchand]; he passed it through a stick and it was a tap in.”

New Jersey dropped to 22-10-2, they are 1-6-1 in their last eight.

“We had a couple of times around the net to attack, and I think we looked for a better play,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. “I think I would’ve like to have seen us get to the net, inside attack, and get more people in.”

At 11:01 of the third, Tomas Tatar pulled New Jersey within two at 4-2.

“We’re kind of beating ourselves,” Tatar said. “I don’t think we played bad at all. We had a great start, had a great third. Even if they score one, we have to come back and keep playing because at the end of the game you never know what can happen.”

New Jersey’s Yegor Sharangovich scored at 13:47 to cut the deficit to 4-3, but the Bruins held serve on the lead for the win, their fourth in a row.

“We needed Pastrnak,” DeBrusk said. “It’s one of those things where it seemed like there wasn’t a lot going on through the neutral zone and that line (Pavel Zacha, Krejci, Pastrnak) just found ways to kind of get some high-level plays. It’s exciting to see. You want to help to contribute, especially right after something like that.”