Bruins breeze past Predators 5-0

Five different players scored and Jeremy Swayman pitched a 28-save shutout to lead the Boston Bruins to a dominant 5-0 win over the host Nashville Predators on Thursday night.

Patrice Bergeron broke his personal six-game point drought with a goal and an assist, while Nick Foligno and Hampus Lindholm each dished out two assists to help Boston secure its second straight win.

Brad Marchand, Craig Smith, Derek Forbort and Trent Frederic also scored for the Bruins, who swept a two-game road trip and improved to 10-1-0 against the Central Division this season.

Boston, which finished the game with a narrow 30-28 shots advantage, put the game far out of reach with three goals on just seven shots in the second period.

Swayman made 10 stops in the third period en route to his second shutout this season and the seventh of his career.

Juuse Saros (25 saves) took the loss for Nashville, which has lost back-to-back and three of its last four games.

Boston jumped ahead just 2:54 into the first period. After a long shot from the left point was flung wide, Marchand corralled the puck and raced down the wing to start a 3-on-1 before taking a pass back from Bergeron to score a give-and-go goal.

In the opening frame, Nashville was outshot 18-8 despite earning two power plays.

Smith sent a backhander on net that deflected off Nashville defenseman Jeremy Lauzon's stick in front and past Saros, doubling the Bruins' lead to 2-0 at the 1:11 mark of the second.

The Bruins finished their big second period with two tallies in a span of 3:09.

Lindholm sprung Bergeron for a breakaway goal at 8:06, making the score 3-0 and breaking Boston's 0-for-21 drought on the power play.

Forbort's shot from the top of the left circle deflected in off Lauzon at 11:15.

The Bruins closed the scoring with 6:13 left in regulation as Frederic drove to the net and redirected Foligno's spinning feed from the right side.

--Field Level Media

1/3: Feb 16, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Derek Forbort (28) and Nashville Predators right wing Nino Niederreiter (22) skate for a loose puck during the first period at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

2/3: Feb 16, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Taylor Hall (71) warms up before the game against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

3/3: Feb 16, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Boston Bruins fans watch warmups before the game against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports