BOSTON – Interim head coach Joe Sacco had a clear vision for the Boston Bruins when he stepped behind the bench for Jim Montgomery.

And the Bruins implemented it effectively in Sacco’s first game in his new role Thursday against the Utah Hockey Club.

The Bruins were once again a strong hockey team to play against – which is what Sacco and Bruins general manager Don Sweeney wanted – and seemed re-energized with Sacco at the helm to earn a 1-0 win over Utah in TD Garden.

However, it took about half of the opening period for the Bruins to get going under Sacco. They looked a lot like what they did under Montgomery when they didn’t register a shot on net for the first six minutes of the game. But the Bruins shook that off to routinely test Utah goalie Karel Vejmelka, who finished with 30 saves.

Boston bombarded Vejmelka with shots — the Bruins outscored Utah 15-5 in the first period — an approach that eluded him for the first 20 games of the season. Even though Boston had nothing to show for a period and a half, the building blocks were there and it felt like a goal was only a matter of time.

It finally came down to Boston’s fifth power play of the night – Boston’s man advantage looking much more organized and producing more chances – when Elias Lindholm got the monkey off his back and brought home a rebound for a 1-0 lead. It was Lindholm’s first goal since October 12.

The Bruins need more from Lindholm in the future, as his goal was enough thanks to a standout performance in net from Joonas Korpisalo, who made 21 saves for the shutout, and Boston closing things out with a hard effort in the third period.

It was a good step in the right direction for the Bruins under Sacco. And now it’s up to Sacco to make sure the Bruins continue to play this way in the future.