After the Bruins’ greatest team of all time got a chance to raise the banner on the two Stanley Cups that were won in 1970 and ’72, the current day B’s put on a performance that could make a Black and Gold dreamer believe that maybe, just maybe, they could raise one of their own.

The B’s improved their league-best record to 13-1-2 with a 5-2 win over their ancient rival Montreal Canadiens on a night the club celebrated the Big, Bad Bruins era.

A week ago, the rebuilding Habs were the better team on Bell Centre ice and took a 3-2 overtime win, but they were no match for the B’s on Saturday. And in what is anomaly for the 2023-24 Bruins thus far, their goaltender for the night, Jeremy Swayman in this case, didn’t have to be one of their best for them to win. Trent Frederic led the way offensively with a pair of goals and David Pastrnak had three assists.

After killing of the game’s first penalty, the B’s took a 1-0 lead on a 5-on-3 after Jesse Ylonen held David Pastrnak and then, 13 seconds later, Johnathan Kovacevic tripped Brad Marchand. . Then both forwards picked up helpers on Charlie McAvoy’s pretty goal, a perfectly placed slapper from the top of the circles, over Jake Allen’s blocker and just under the bar at 7:11. It was McAvoy’s third goal of the season.

The B’s dominated from there on in the period, but Allen kept the Habs within a goal for a while, making several terrific stops in what was a shooting gallery.

After the B’s had amassed a 15-4 shot advantage, Allen sprung Brendan Gallagher for a breakaway with a long rebound. With Marchand in pursuit, Gallagher got off a good shot that Jeremy Swayman was able to fight off.

It looked like the Habs would get out of the first period down just a goal, but with 39.6 seconds left, Frederic’s high tip of Brandon Carlo’s shot got past Allen to make it, 2-0, for his fourth of the year.

The B’s were playing one of their best games of the year and, early in the second, they earned some good luck. Hampus Lindholm dished a pass out high to Pavel Zacha, who didn’t have much of a play but to fire it toward the net. It went off Canadien defenseman Jordan Harris’ stick and past Allen, whose body was going the other way. It was Zacha’s sixth of the year

But the Habs got one back at 13:04. After an icing call, the fourth line got hemmed in their own end. Nick Suzuki made a feed to 2022 first overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky, who snuck a wrister past Swayman on the shortside form the left circle.

The B’s regained their thee-goal lead 15:30.

After serving a high-sticking penalty, Frederic flew out of he box with all sorts of energy. Charlie Coyle fed him on the left wing and he beat Montreal’s gassed power-play skaters up ice before slipping a wrist shot under Allen’s pads.

James van Riemsdyk added a power-play goal, a backhander from his office at the crease for his fifth of the year at 5:39 and the B’s were on their way.

Kovacevic got a goal back at 15:29, but the game was well in hand by then