FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) – Boston native Mike Condon stopped 27 shots to lead the Montreal Canadiens to a 5-1 victory over the Boston Bruins on Friday in the Winter Classic at the home of the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots.
Paul Byron scored twice, and Brendan Gallagher returned from two broken fingers and had a goal and an assist for Montreal. David Desharnais and Max Pacioretty also scored for the Canadiens.
Tuukka Rask stopped 25 shots for the Bruins, and Matt Beleskey scored in the third period to avert the first shutout in Winter Classic history. The four-goal win was the largest for the event since it began in 2008.
Both goalies paid tribute to the Patriots and quarterback Tom Brady on their masks, and coach Claude Julien worked the Bruins bench in a hoodie straight from the wardrobe of his NFL counterpart, Bill Belichick.
But the Bruins fell to 0-1 in a building where the Patriots have lost only one meaningful game in three years.