Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said his team is "competing for each other" on its three-game win streak.

The Boston Bruins’ 5-3 win Sunday night over the Detroit Red Wings was not without its theatrics.

A Morgan Geekie drive to the net prompted a punch in the face – and ensuing fight – with Detroit defenseman Ben Chiarot in what evolved into a chippy fourth meeting between the two teams.

However, those are the types of games the Bruins want to be in. Arguably, they’re the ones they thrive in.

“We don’t care who we play, when we play them, we want to be piss and vinegar every time,” Jeremy Swayman, who made 25 saves, said to reporters Sunday. “I just think we had each other’s back. And that was the biggest thing going into this game.”

In its third straight win since snapping the pre-holiday break four-game losing streak, Boston continued to build the “team game” that coach Jim Montgomery preaches. A 200-foot, physical and support-oriented style of play, which includes sticking up for the players wearing the spoked-B.

The Bruins took exception to a handful of the uncalled hits and jabs on their top-talent guys, namely Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak.

“There was a game plan [Detroit] had to go after Pastrnak and Marchand, and I do think that we need to protect the stars in our league,” Montgomery said to reporters Sunday. “When guys are getting cross-checked and stuff after whistles, I think that’s something that needs to be important to the league.”

While the Red Wings finished the game with just three penalties against, the Bruins didn’t give into undisciplined retaliation. Instead, they harnessed the frustration into hard hits, winning puck battles and having a little extra spunk in the scrums.

“We’ve played them a lot to start the year, and it’s just a bunch of guys that don’t really like each other right now. That’s kind of what happens,” Trent Fredric said to reporters Sunday.

Montgomery said he liked the way his team is “competing for each other,” and, in hand, it’s winning them hockey games.

Frederic’s two goals, a slot-shot from Charlie Coyle and empty-net tallies from Jake DeBrusk and Pavel Zacha secured Sunday’s night victory, and sent the message that the “new-look” Bruins aren’t straying far from their gritty, relentless franchise identity.

“It’s really special to see guys having each other’s back out there and not getting pushed around because we wear a pretty prideful logo and we’ve got a lot to represent,” Swayman said. “It’s our job to maintain that kind of reputation for this logo and this organization.”