BOSTON -- In what can only be described as the Boston Bruins' (16-13-0) best game of the season, they annihilated the St. Louis Blues (9-12-7) 5-2 on Thursday night inside TD Garden.

The Bruins dominated in every facet of the game. The Blues had only won nine of their first 27 games this season entering tonight. That's tied for the fewest in the NHL.

The Blues played like a total bottom-feeder, too. The Bruins, still without David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy, completely controlled the game on every level.

13 months ago, the Bruins fired Jim Montgomery, prompting some to ask whether Boston could find a better coach.

The way the first two months of this season have gone, there's a clear and emphatic answer: Yes, and Boston's Head Coach Marco Sturm might win a Jack Adams Trophy by the time this season ends.

Tonight's win marked the seventh-straight win for the Bruins when they score first. It's a new piece of the recipe for winning for Boston.

The biggest takeaway from tonight might be that David Pastrnak can take his time rehabbing and healing. Alex Steeves continues to break out in front of everyone's eyes. Tonight, he skated alongside Morgan Geekie and Elias Lindholm. Steeves scored again, while assisting on another.

The line dominated all night, with Steeves' heavy forecheck and all-around play impossible to ignore. 

Joonas Korpisalo played well in the victory, making 38 saves in the win.

Jordan Binnington struggled and fished five pucks out of his net, making just 22 saves in the loss.

First Period:

The rout began in earnest in the first period. Just over six minutes into the game, Steeves got the party going.

The goal marked Steeves' sixth of the year, which briefly saw him tied with Arvidsson for third-most on the team. Steeves, mind you, has played all of 13 games.

Five minutes later, Geekie scored his 21st of the season.

It's a rocket like everyone's grown to expect from Geekie. The play never happens without Steeves' stellar forecheck that took out two Blues, while Elias Lindholm makes the precision pass.

Boston took the 2-0 lead and a 14-9 shot advantage.

Second Period:

Despite a blowout first period, the Blues landed a punch early in the second period. A small defensive breakdown, and Colton Parayko teed up Pavel Buchnevich for a quick goal just 1:59 into the period.

Buchnevich found a soft spot in the slot, and waited for the pass to come.

From there, the Blues buzzed for a few minutes. Korpisalo kept the puck out, and the Blues grew frustrated.

Then, just 4:05 after Buchnevich's goal, Arvidsson scored an absolute rocket.

Talk about a complete and total snipe. Arvidsson's shot off a Mason Lohrei rebound couldn't have been any harder or more precisely aimed. It marked Arvidsson's 400th career point.

The Blues, much like the Bruins last season under Montgomery, sank into themselves. They looked like a team that quit from that goal onward.

Boston gave up some small chances, but overall didn't allow much of anything.

Then, Zacha scored his first goal of the game.

It continued the night of gorgeous shots from the Bruins. Off a rush, Zacha picked his and wired it home. Binnington had no chance.

In the dying seconds of the period, the Bruins received a late power play after a Jake Neighbours penalty.

All it took was some precise passing and Boston made it 5-1, with just 0.1 seconds left on the clock. One-tenth of a second, and Zacha beat the clock.

Another pretty passing play. The goal gave Geekie and Elias Lindholm their third points of the game, on a night they dominated.

The shot department in the second period read 15-8 St. Louis, but none were particularly dangerous or challenging.

Third Period:

The Bruins did not come out overly hard in the third period. With a 5-1 lead, they played laid back, something they knew they could afford to do.

It's far from a good habit, and not one they should let stick by any means whatsoever. 

The Blues ran away with the pressure and the shots on goal race in this period. Eventually, it led to a goal.

Korpisalo sprawled and absolutely robbed Dylan Holloway. Holloway recovered and grabbed his own rebound, wrapped it around, and fed Pius Suter for the goal.

Slowly from there, the clock bled down on the game. The Blues continued funneling pucks, but Boston shut it down.

Tonight's game truly proved quantity does not equal quality, by any means. St. Louis flung 40 shots on goal to Boston's 27, but that's no indicator of how this game went.

The Bruins proved they're better all night. The Eastern Conference remains painfully packed tightly, and every point matters. In one of the very few games against a clearly inferior opponent, Boston proved it to be so.

Boston's next game comes Saturday night at home against the New Jersey Devils.