Finishing off their first of two back-to-back slates this week, one could say last night’s loss to the Canadiens was the Bruins’ best effort of the season.

The Bruins were by far the better team Tuesday night and at times, completely dominated their rivals to the north. If not for the play of Carey Price the Bruins would have walked away with an easy, multiple-goal victory. Instead, the Bruins jetted back to Boston with a hard-fought, heartbreaking 3-2 loss.

The Bruins peppered Price with 43 shots and really made it difficult for the Habs star goaltender all evening long. On the other side of the rink, the Bruins did a great job limiting the rubber that rookie goalie Zane McIntyre saw in only his second career National Hockey League start. Montreal had just 23 shots on goal including 12 through 40 minutes of play. Paul Byron’s goal with 1:02 remaining in regulation gave the Habs the win, their league leading 11th of the season.

Here is what we learned

David Pastrnak continues to shine

Down a goal nearly halfway through the third period, David Pastrnak fired home a feed from John Michael Liles for his team-leading ninth goal of the season. His nine goals ties him with Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele for second in the league.

Pastrnak has fit in nicely with linemates Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. The trio is starting to become one of the league’s best lines. Pastrnak seems to have a new added confidence this season and it’s really starting to show.

Zane McIntyre sold in loss

Making a start between the Bell Centre pipes as the visiting goalie is never an easy thing. Combine that with the fact that the start is only the second of your NHL career and one would expect a shaky outing for a young netminder. That certainly was not the case Tuesday night as Zane McIntyre looked solid in his Bell Centre debut.

The rookie netminder and North Dakota alum did everything he could to keep the Bruins in the game as the guys in front of him also did their part. In what was a good effort by the Bruins as a whole, despite the loss, McIntyre should have gained some much-needed confidence after last night’s performance.

Carey Price continues to amaze

It’s hard to argue against the fact that Carey Price is the league’s best goalie. After a dominating performance in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, Price continues to dominate the hockey world.

In Tuesday’s contest, Price came up with save after save after save, to help the Canadiens grind out the difficult 3-2 victory. Price continues to haunt the Bruins and continues to prove how important he is to the Habs’ success.

Power play turning around

Through the Bruins’ first 11 games, their power play was virtually non-existent. With just three goals in 38 tries during that span, the Bruins had one of the league’s worst power plays.

After moving some power play pieces around prior to their 4-0 victory over the Buffalo Sabres Monday night at TD Garden, the Bruins power play is starting to turn things around. Converting on four of their 10 opportunities with the man advantage in their last two games, the Bruins are starting to bring their power play back to life.

Part of that resurgence has been the increased power play time for Marchand and Pastrnak who both lead the Bruins in points with 15 and 13 respectively. Their power plays are starting to look more fluid and more opportunistic, resulting in more chances and now, more goals.

The Bruins are next in action Thursday night when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets.