Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
The Colorado Avalanche boast some of the best high-end skill in the NHL, including current Hart Trophy frontrunner Nathan MacKinnon and defenseman Cale Makar, who is being mentioned in the same breath as Bobby Orr these days.
When they’re at their best, the Avs are a breathtaking combination of speed and skill.
But the Bruins’ top guys take a back seat to no one in the league and on Thursday at the Garden, they showed it.
Coach Jim Montgomery loaded up with his top two defensemen, Hampus Lindholm and Charlie McAvoy, paired with the top line of Charlie Coyle, David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand to go against the Avs’ top pairing of Makar and Devon Toews and the top line of McKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Jonathan Drouin.
And what did the battle of the behomoth’s produce? A David Pastrnak hat trick (Nos. 27, 28, 29) and a hard-earned 5-2 victory for the Bruins over the Avalanche.
“I think it was a challenge that all five guys wanted,” said Montgomery. “I don’t know if it was a statement game, but I just like how our game is building. You can see the confidence throughout the lineup with how we’re playing with the puck.”
The B’s came out throwing haymakers in the first, had to weather a Colorado flurry in the second and then produced one of their best shutdown third periods of the season, limiting the Avs to just four shots before finally putting the game on ice with a late power-play goal by Pastrnak.
Pastrnak fired 13 shots at the net and landed eight on a night that could lift him into the Hart conversation as well.
“Those are fun always,” said Pastrnak of the matchup. “You always want to play against the top players. Nate is a little tougher. You wouldn’t mind if you stay away from their line. They’ve been playing unbelievable. But it’s always challenging and good motivation to play against them. He and Mikko have been unbelievable together. It’s fun to play against those guys.”
But as intriguing as the five-man mano-a-mano was, it was the B’s depth that swayed the game in their favor. Jake DeBrusk had his best 200-foot game of the year, notching what turned out to be the winning goal, making a sweet pass to Pastrnak late in the game to give the B’s some breathing space in the third and using his legs to backcheck, snuffing out a couple of promising looking Colorado chances.
DeBrusk has left his first half doldrums behind him.
“It seems to be getting repetitive here in the second half. It seems every game is his best game of the year,” said Montgomery. “That’s a credit to him, because his details, his habits … that play to Pasta? That’s a high-end play on the power-play goal.”
It wouldn’t be a Bruins win without a major contribution from a goaltender, and Jeremy Swayman did that, making 32 saves to nail down his third straight win.
The B’s sent the message early that they were ready to play. On the first shift of the game, the top unit pinned the Avs back in their zone until Coyle poked the puck away from Makar, right to Pastrnak, who circled out and beat Alexander Georgiev for his 27th of the year just 44 seconds into the game.
Jakub Lauko gave them a 2-0 advantage with his first goal of the year at 4:58. Lindholm stopped a clear attempt along the left wall and got the puck down low to Morgan Geekie. Spotting the wide open Lauko on the left side, Geekie got it to him for the easy open net backhander.
The B’s had their momentum stunted briefly after Oskar Steen was called for tripping on what looked like incidental contact. The B’s were able to kill off the penalty but before they were able to get another man into the play, Miles Wood somehow sneaked a follow-up shot through Swayman’s shortside.
But DeBrusk got the B’s their two-goal lead back at 14:52 with his 10th of the season. With DeBrusk cutting through the slot, Parker Wotherspoon connected on a pass that DeBrusk deflected past Georgiev from the high slot.
Colorado coach Jared Bednar challenged for offside on Pavel Zacha on the zone entry, but it was ruled Zacha had “possession and control of the puck as he entered the attacking zone.” The B’s could not put the hammer down on the ensuing power play, however.
The Avs picked up the pace in the second, outshooting the B’s 17-8 and, after some close calls, they finally pulled to within one with 3:40 left in the period. Swayman stopped a long shot from the left point from Josh Manson, but it got under and behind him. It didn’t go over the line, but MacKinnon located it before Swayman could and tapped it home.
Colorado would start the third period with a power play, and it sure felt like the Avs were ready to soar. But the B’s never let them get airborne.
After grinding the period out with a one-goal lead, the B’s finally put it away after Manson high-sticked Coyle and, with 2:36 left, DeBrusk cut to the middle of the ice before he slipped a pass down low to Pastrnak for a tip and a 4-2 lead. Coyle then made sure that Pastrnak got the hat trick with the Colorado net empty.
And while Montgomery didn’t want to call it a statement win, it is sure feeling like his team just might have something to say this season after all.
Local News
A Boston man is facing charges after he allegedly lunged at a Burger King employee, punched a customer, and then resisted arrest at a nearby MBTA station in East Boston, authorities announced Monday afternoon.
Patrick Donovan, 59, was charged July 1 with one count of assault and battery causing injury on an over 60 or disabled person, assault and battery, disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, assault, and vandalism, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office said in a press release.
The charges stem from an incident shortly before 10 p.m. on June 30, when Boston police responded to a disturbance call from Burger King at 1 Maverick Square, Hayden’s office said.
A Burger King employee told officers that, after ordering his food and receiving it, Donovan yelled that he no longer wanted it and smacked a napkin holder off the counter. He then allegedly lunged at an employee and grabbed her by the arm, prosecutors said.
Donovan subsequently shoved a customer from behind and allegedly punched him in the face three times while calling him racial slurs, the DA’s office said.
Emergency medical services evaluated the customer for “visible lacerations to the forehead,” but the victim declined additional treatment, authorities said.
Donovan fled the restaurant following the assaults, and officers tracked him to the nearby MBTA Maverick Station, prosecutors said.
“While officers tried to detain Donovan inside the station, he swung at them with a closed fist but did not make contact,” Hayden’s office said, noting that Donovan made racial slurs towards the officers. “Donovan was placed into custody after a brief struggle.”
During his arraignment in the East Boston division of the Boston Municipal Court, Donovan pleaded not guilty and was released on personal recognizance. Court records show he was also ordered to stay away from Maverick Square and Burger King.
He is scheduled to return to court Aug. 7 for a pre-trial hearing, prosecutors said.
Officers obtained security footage of both assaults. Authorities said the incident remains under investigation and could result in further charges.
“Our workers deserve to be safe in their workplaces and our consumers deserve to be safe in their shopping or dining places, without exception,” Hayden said in a statement. “Beyond that, none of our citizens or first responders should be subjected to racial slurs. These appalling words have no place in Suffolk County or anywhere else in our society.”
Attorney information for Donovan was not immediately available Monday afternoon.
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
A rideshare driver suspected of assaulting a passenger at Boston Logan International Airport on Friday is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday.
Leonard Bacon, 23, was found in Lowell, where he lives, and taken into custody on Sunday, Massachusetts State Police said. He’s charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury.
It wasn’t immediately clear if Bacon, who’s due to face the charge in East Boston District Court, had an attorney who could speak for him.
Police didn’t share more details on what Bacon is accused of doing. They’ve previously said that the rideshare passenger entered Terminal C just before 5:30 a.m. and reported that they had been physically assaulted by their driver prior to being dropped off.
After the passenger got out of the vehicle, the rideshare driver left the scene, according to police, who alerted area law enforcement agencies to look out for the suspect. The victim was taken to a Boston-area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police added.
Police are looking for a rideshare driver who was reported to have assaulted a passenger right before drop-off at Boston’s Logan airport.
In a statement, Uber said they’ve checked in with the rider and removed the driver’s access to their rideshare platform.
“We are horrified by this reported violence,” a representative for the company said in a statement, adding, “Our specialized team has been in touch with law enforcement, and we will continue to do whatever we can to support their investigation.”
“She’s more than just a cyclist and an advocate,” Rose Frank, 36, who became friends with Gag in seventh grade, said. “Those were parts of her identity, but she’s such an amazing person in so many other ways, and we want to celebrate all of those ways.”
Gag, who grew up in Roslindale just minutes from the park, was a joyful and energetic child, said Mark Smith, 66, a neighbor who spoke at the event.
“She was the sweetest little girl with a big wide smile,” Smith said. “Whenever you were in her presence, you felt somehow special.”
Smith said Gag’s passion for giving back to her community likely came from her parents, Steve Gag and Laura Gang, longtime Roslindale residents who contributed greatly to developing the neighborhood. Steve Gag helped bring a farmers market to Adams Park, while Laura Gang was involved in the public library.
Gag’s loved ones said she grew up to become a generous person who cared deeply about her family and friends.
“Louisa showed up for people,” Molly Goodkind, 36, a childhood friend of Gag’s said during Sunday’s event. “We’ll never understand how she had time to be everyone’s go-to person.”
Gag, she said, would eagerly volunteer to cat-sit, even though she didn’t like cats. Another friend said she kept a spreadsheet of the birthdays of all the babies she knew.
“She was the person outside of my biological family who, if I needed something, she would be there in an instant,” Goodkind, who has known Gag since they were 2-years-old, said.
Gag’s friends said she was curious and remained open-minded, even though she held firm beliefs.
“Who do you know that was a vegetarian except for when it inconvenienced others? And of course, except for hot dogs, because according to Louisa, you can’t not have a hot dog at a barbecue,” Gag’s friend Danielle Shaked said, drawing laughs from the crowd, including Laura Gang, who dabbed at her eyes with a crumpled tissue.
Gag also found time for many hobbies, and was always trying new ones, her friends said. Beyond loving outdoor activities such as biking and hiking, she was passionate about sustainability and shopped secondhand or sewed her own clothes. She dabbled in photography, painting, and cooking.

Urban planning was one of Gag’s enduring passions, Goodkind said.
“In college, she created her own major,” she said. “I don’t remember exactly what she called it, but it was something like city and people.”
Gag attended college at the University of Rochester and later earned a master’s degree in urban and environmental planning and policy from Tufts University, according to her LinkedIn.
Before joining the city in 2022, Gag worked for LivableStreets Alliance, a Boston-based nonprofit that advocates for increased safety, equity, and affordability. She also interned for Mayor Michelle Wu when Wu was a city councilor.
Wu attended Sunday’s event, but did not speak. Like many other attendees, she held a yellow sunflower, one of Gag’s favorites, as she tearfully listened to the tributes.
While Gag didn’t like being the center of attention, her friends said she would have been grateful for Sunday’s event.
“She would be completely honored to know that she has impacted so many people,” Frank said, her gaze drifting over the people gathered in the park.
Under a small tent nearby, attendees crowded around a folding table, filling out remembrance cards. Dozens of bikes leaned against the park’s fences while more lay scattered in the grass.
Allyson Chiu can be reached at allyson.chiu@globe.com. Follow her on X @_allysonchiu.
2026 K-State Football Early Opponent Preview, Game 7:Arizona State
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission: Celebrate America 250 with responsible boating | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
The fierce competition to get married at California’s most popular public buildings
Colorado’s Front Range Passenger Rail eyes stops at future Broncos, Summit stadiums
Why Connecticut’s flag is blue and what its symbols stand for
A Delaware taste of summer since 1957 is now being sold in Hockessin
Skunks, warthogs & monkeys, oh my! Here’s what Florida records reveal about 140+ captive animal escapes since 2022
Georgia football defensive depth chart entering fall camp