We have a long way to go in this 2025-26 hockey season, but here’s a sentence most people didn’t expect to hear, even at this stage of the year.

Say hello to your first-place Boston Bruins.

The B’s scored a gut-check 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on Saturday night after losing Charlie McAvoy to a scary shot to the face in the second period and then Viktor Arvidsson late in the game.

In a game that was worthy of the ancient rivalry, the B’s took a 3-2 lead into the third period and were able to hang on for the win behind Jeremy Swayman’s 28 saves.

The B’s got goals from Marat Khusnutdinov, Mason Lohrei and Arvidsson and did a tremendous job on the penalty kill. They took seven minors and had to kill off two lengthy 5-on-3s in the game but managed to nail down the two points in regulation.

“You never want to see that happen. Scary play. Hope to get in contact with (McAvoy) here soon and hope he’s doing all right,” Lohrei told NESN. “Just a great effort from everybody, not just the five D that we had but all the forwards, too, and obviously Sway backing us up.”

Coach Marco Sturm told reporters in Montreal that McAvoy was still undergoing testing and he hoped the defenseman could accompany they team on their flight home. He said Arvidsson (lower body) will miss some time, though he did not have a timetable.

The win nudged the B’s ahead of the Habs and the Senators for the top spot in the Atlantic Division.

The Bruins were the better team for much of the edgy first period but they were fortunate to get out of it with the score tied 1-1.

It seemed like both teams recognized that the dormant rivalry had a chance to get reignited from the beginning. Off the opening faceoff, Nikita Zadorov and Jayden Struble tossed their gloves aside and locked up for a tussle. Struble gave away seven inches and about 50 pounds and took more shots than he gave, but he stayed on his feet and the Bell Centre crowd was loving it.

“Why not? Saturday night, Bell Centre, big rivalry. It used to be a big rivalry. Maybe it’s new again. But just trying to get the boys going,” said Zadorov.

The locals didn’t like it as much at 3:52 when Arber Xhekaj squared off with Tanner Jeanot and Jeannot quickly dropped him on the seat of his pants with a right cross.

“It’s a great team win today. It started off … I felt like I was at the Four Nations,” said Sturm, recalling the three straight fights that started the U.S.-Canada game last February. “Guys came ready. Really good fights there off the hop and it got us going. Sway was outstanding and the PK, just overall, it was a good team win.”

The B’s created several excellent scoring chances in the first and cashed one in at 8:38. Zadorov had carried the puck into the offensive zone but sent it in the corner for what looked like Habs’ possession. But Khusnutdinov won it back along the boards and fed it back out high for Zadorov, who sent it down low to David Pastrnak. Pastrnak moved it back out to the left wing for Khusnutdinov, whose shot ricocheted off a couple of bodies and into the wide open net for his third of the year.

There were chances for the B’s to take full control of the game. One blew up on them at 12:12. Operating on the power play, Pavel Zacha’s backhand pass intended for Arvidsson went off his skate and the Habs took off on a 2-on-1. Jake Evans kept it and beat Swayman to the high short side.

Mark Kastelic put the Habs on the power play late in the period when tried to get Josh Anderson to fight after Anderson landed a check on Jonathan Aspirot, but Anderson declined and Kastelic got tagged with a roughing minor. Compounding that was a Zadorov tripping penalty, giving the Habs a 5-on-3 for 1:28. But the B’s were able to kill off all the penalty time.

The B’s had a strong start to the second period. Sam Montembault made a good stop on a clean breakaway from Morgan Geekie. But shortly after that off a faceoff, Mason Lohrei beat him to the short side on a long distance wrist shot from the left point at 2:00.

“A knuckle puck. Got lucky,” said Lohrei.

Penalty trouble came back with a vengeance a little later in the period. First Fraser Minten was called for holding and then after the puck drop, McAvoy was nailed for slashing, giving Montreal another 5-on-3 for 1:50. And they killed that off, too. But the stripes weren’t done. Seconds after McAvoy came out of the box, Zadorov was wheeling out of the zone and behind the play, Hampus Lindholm was called for interference.

The B’s killed that off as well, but lost McAvoy when it he took a Noah Dobson shot to the face. The defenseman needed some assistance to get off the ice, leaving a pool of blood behind him. He did not return.

After surviving those hairy moments, the B’s finally got a call, with Jaraj Slafkovsky going for hooking. On the advantage, Zacha tried the same backhand pass to Arvidsson that led to the Evans shorthanded goal, but this time it found its intended target. The veteran connected for his sixth of the year and 200th of his career with 3:09 left in the period.

But they couldn’t take that two-goal lead into the third. On a 4-on-4, Jonathan Aspirot jumped into the play in the offensive zone but couldn’t reach the puck. Struble sent the puck up to Nick Suzuki at the blue line. Zadorov tried to take away the pass, but Suzuki was able to get it to Cole Caufield for the breakaway goal with 1:16 left in the second.

The B’s lead was down to a goal and they headed into the third to preserve it without their best defenseman.

In the third, the B’s had two unsuccessful power plays and Montreal had one. They lost Arvidsson late in the game as he pulled up after skating to nullify an icing, appearing to grab at his upper leg.

With Montembault pulled for an extra skater, Zadorov iced the puck twice, trying to end the game but missing the empty net both times from his own zone. But they managed to run out the clock for the victory.