Rask makes 32 saves, leads Bruins over Blues 3-1

By MARK ALTMAN
Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) -- Tuukka Rask was again up to the task for the Bruins.

Rask made 32 saves and extended his personal point streak to 19 games lifting Boston to a 3-1 win over the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night.

"Any team will play better when you know the goaltender has your back," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. "We got sick of losing."

Rask is 17-0-2 in his last 19 starts and the Bruins improved to 15-1-4 in their last 20 games overall. David Krejci, Patrice Bergeron and David Backes scored for Boston.

In a game featuring two of the top three teams in goals against average, the goalies were the story as Jake Allen made 22 of his 43 saves in the second period - including a spectacular glove stop of Krejci. Rask matched Allen by robbing Jaden Schwartz 1:45 into the third period with a glove save of his own.

"When I came off the ice, I started to feel bad for Jake, but then I was happy for him," Blues coach Mike Yeo said. "He rose to the occasion and if he continues to play like that, the game will reward him."

With the goalie pulled, Schwartz gave the Bruins a scare when he extended his scoring streak to five games and cut the lead to 2-1 with 1:32 remaining.

Backes scored an empty-netter against his old team with 1 second left to end it.

"Felt like I was on the cusp a few times tonight and my eyes were getting larger as I tried to beat the clock," Backes said. "Most complete game I feel we have played."

Krejci's goal was a controversial one at 12:32 of the first. He slipped the puck past a distracted Allen, who had collided with two Bruins players after making the initial save on Ryan Spooner. The Blues challenged by claiming goaltender interference, but the goal was upheld.

"You never know the way those challenges are going to go," Bruins defenseman Torey Krug said.

Bergeron added an insurance goal on the power play when he one-timed David Pastrnak's pass to beat Allen over the shoulder for a 2-0 Bruins lead at 9:05 of the third.

The Blues had previously won three straight and five of six.

NOTES: Kevan Miller left in the second period with an upper-body injury. ... Spooner had two assists for the Bruins. ... Boston scored first for the first time in nine games. ... Allen was undefeated in four career starts against Boston and started for the first time in seven games. ... Brad Marchand served the third game of his five-game suspension. ... St. Louis is 3-5-1 in its last nine road games.

UP NEXT

Blues: at Buffalo on Saturday.

Bruins: host Tampa Bay on Saturday.

Malkin, Bergeron and Bernier Named NHL ‘Three Stars’ for January

NEW YORK – Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin, Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron and Colorado Avalanche goaltender Jonathan Bernier have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the month of January.

FIRST STAR – EVGENI MALKIN, C, PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

Malkin led the NHL with 12 goals and ranked second with 19 points in 12 games (12-7—19) to lift the Penguins (28-21-3, 59 points) to a 9-3-0 January and second place in the Metropolitan Division. He collected at least one point in eight of his 12 contests, highlighted by four three-point performances. Those included his 12th career hat trick Jan. 30 vs. SJS (3-0—3) and 22nd career four-point outing Jan. 13 vs. DET (2-2—4). Malkin also scored three game-winning goals, headlined by his 12th career overtime winner Jan. 7 vs. BOS. The 31-year-old Magnitogorsk, Russia, native shares fifth place in the NHL with 26 goals and sits 11th overall with 55 points through 48 contests this season. That includes a League-best 19 goals and 34 points in 26 outings since the start of December.

SECOND STAR – PATRICE BERGERON, C, BOSTON BRUINS

Bergeron ranked second in the NHL with nine goals and fourth with 17 points in 11 games (9-8—17) to guide the Bruins (29-11-8, 66 points) to an 8-1-2 January and within five points of first place in the overall League standings. He found the scoresheet in nine of his 11 appearances, headlined by a career-high four goals and five points (tied) Jan. 6 vs. CAR. In doing so, Bergeron became the first Boston player to score four goals in one game since Oct. 28, 1999 (Dave Andreychuk). The 32-year-old Ancienne-Lorette, Que., native and four-time Frank J. Selke Trophy winner sits third on the Bruins with 20-22—42 in 43 outings this season. He now has reached the 20-goal milestone in nine of his 14 NHL campaigns, including five straight.

THIRD STAR – JONATHAN BERNIER, G, COLORADO AVALANCHE

Bernier posted a League-high eight wins, compiling a 2.10 goals-against average, .939 save percentage and one shutout in 11 games to propel the Avalanche (27-18-4, 58 points) to an 8-2-1 January. He yielded two or fewer goals in seven of his 11 appearances, including his 16th career shutout Jan. 4 vs. CBJ (34 SV). Bernier also made a season-high 45 saves Jan. 18 vs. SJS (5-3 W), three shy of his career best set Dec. 5, 2013 (w/ TOR). The 29-year-old Laval, Que., native – who won a career-high nine straight games from Dec. 31 – Jan. 22 (1.53 GAA, .955 SV%, 1 SO) – owns a 14‑9‑2 record with a 2.67 goals-against average, .917 save percentage and two shutouts in 25 outings this season.

Henrique scores twice, Ducks end Bruins' streak with 3-1 win

By DOUG ALDEN
Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) -- A quick start for the Anaheim Ducks finished Boston's run of 18 straight games with a point.

Adam Henrique and Jakob Silfverberg scored in the first period, when Anaheim held Boston to just five shots, and the Ducks held on for a 3-1 victory Tuesday night.

"We did a good job in the first period. We had some jump going," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said.

The Ducks became the first team to beat the Bruins in regulation since Washington's 5-3 win Dec. 14 at Boston. Cam Fowler and Rickard Rakell had two assists apiece for Anaheim.

John Gibson stopped all 25 shots he faced before leaving in the third period after taking a puck off his chest earlier in the period. Ryan Miller played the final 7:25 and nearly completed a shutout for the Ducks before Ryan Spooner scored for Boston with 41 seconds left.

"We're trying to get on a streak of our own. I think we've been trending in the right direction with our hockey," Miller said.

Henrique scored into an empty net with 6.1 seconds remaining to seal it for the Ducks, who halted Boston's five-game winning streak and a stretch of 18 games with at least one point (14-0-4), which tied for the second-longest in franchise history.

"At some point it's going to happen. Hopefully we realize we need to be good from when they drop the puck," Bruins center Patrice Bergeron said. "We weren't moving our feet at the beginning. We had no forecheck or sustained pressure."

Anton Khudobin stopped 24 shots for the Bruins, who never recovered after being outshot 15-5 in the first period and falling behind 2-0 on goals by Silfverberg and Henrique.

"I thought we did a good job of that, controlling the play and obviously coming out with the lead," Henrique said. "Especially against this team at home, with the way they've been playing for a really long time, it was a big start for us."

The Ducks have won eight straight against the Bruins, who haven't beaten Anaheim since a 3-2 shootout win on Oct. 21, 2013.

The Bruins, who got away with several slow starts while riding their streak into the All-Star break, could not rally this time.

"It was disappointing the way we came out. We got the result that shows for it," Bergeron said. "You're not going to be able to get back in games every time."

Anaheim took a 1-0 lead when Khudobin couldn't quite hang onto a long backhand by Fowler. The puck fell from Khudobin's glove and slid across the crease, where it appeared to be knocked in by Bruins captain Zdeno Chara as he went crashing into his own net 9:04 into the game. Silfverberg was credited with the goal and assists went to Fowler and Rakell, who set up the Ducks' second goal a few minutes later when Henrique scored.

The Ducks were on a power play and worked the puck around the corners, then to Henrique in the right circle for a wrist shot that beat Khudobin on the stick side at 13:59.

"We get a bounce that went our way and then we scored a power-play goal to give us a 2-0 game and we kind of rode that the rest of the way," Carlyle said. "I think we were guilty of trying to play too cute in the second. We had opportunities to direct pucks toward the net and we decided to pass off. We got a little bit sloppy in the neutral ice with turnovers. We can't do that."

Gibson needed a few minutes to regroup after a hard shot from Bergeron hit him in the ribs early in the third, then ended up leaving with 7:25 left and was replaced by Miller.

"He looked like he was kind of having a little trouble. Hopefully it's nothing that's going to affect him too long," Miller said.

NOTES: The Ducks opened a five-game road trip against Atlantic Division teams. ... Boston LW Anders Bjork left after the first period with an upper-body injury. ... Boston was without leading scorer Brad Marchand, who sat out the second of a five-game suspension for throwing an elbow last week against New Jersey.

UP NEXT

Ducks: Visit the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night.

Bruins: Host the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night.

Bruins keep rolling, beat Senators for fifth straight win

Associated Press

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) – Jake DeBrusk wasn't even trying to score and ended up with the winner.

DeBrusk beat Mike Condon with 8:41 left to lift the Boston Bruins over the Ottawa Senators 3-2 on Thursday night for their fifth straight win.

"I was aiming for a rebound and got some puck luck there," said DeBrusk, who scored his 11th of the season. "I think (Condon would) like to have that one back."

Danton Heinen and Tim Schaller also scored to help the Bruins get a point in their 18th straight game (14-0-4), their second longest point streak ever. Tuukka Rask stopped 21 shots.

Thomas Chabot and Ryan Dzingel scored for Ottawa, but the Senators are mired in a five-game skid.

Condon had 41 saves. The backup can't seem to catch a break this season, allowing a bad goal in nearly every home game he's played. The Senators (15-23-9) are on a five-game losing streak.

"You let in a bad goal when you're playing bad, you're still going to think it's a bad goal, so if you're playing well and you let in a bad goal, it doesn't really matter," Condon said. "A bad goal is a bad goal. They don't feel very good. I don't know what else to say about that."

Condon was the only reason the Senators were even in it as the Bruins outshot the Ottawa 20-7 in the first period.

"He was standing on his head," Dzingel said. "I think they had 21 shots in the first period and we wanted to hold them to 25 for the whole game so when a guy like that's playing for you, you want to do anything you can for him."

Boston was without leading scorer Brad Marchand, who began his five-game suspension for an elbow against New Jersey forward Marcus Johansson on Tuesday.

The Bruins took a 2-1 lead on a short-handed goal when Patrice Bergeron won a race to the puck and fed Schaller for a breakaway. The lead was short lived, as the Senators scored 20 seconds later after Dzingel and Matt Duchene executed a give-and-go.

The Bruins regained the lead when DeBrusk fired a bad-angle shot that Condon got a stick on, but the puck fluttered over and behind him.

With the Bruins on the power play, Zack Smith had the opportunity to clear the puck, but instead had his shot intercepted by Bergeron, who then found David Pastrnak. Pastrnak had a fluttering shot go up in the air and Heinen, with his first in nine games, was able to get a piece of it and beat Condon through the legs to tie it at 1.

Despite being outshot badly, the Senators managed to get out of the first period with a 1-0 lead. Chabot got his fourth of the season by firing a shot that hit Adam McQuaid's skate blade and went past Rask.

NOTES: During the first period, the Senators recognized Chris Neil, who retired last month, for his contributions to the organization. Mark Stone missed his third straight game with a lower-body injury, as did D Johnny Oduya (undisclosed). Boston C Noel Acciari missed the game due to a lower-body injury.

UP NEXT

Bruins: Host Anaheim on Tuesday night.

Senators: Play at Carolina on Tuesday night.

–––

More AP hockey: https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey

Anderson: Brad Marchand deserved 'excessive' suspension

The following piece was written by Ty Anderson of WEEI. 

-----

Bruins winger Brad Marchand, set to begin serving his sixth NHL suspension (and ninth total run-in if you include incidents in which Marchand escaped with just a fine) in a career that’s just eight seasons old, should be so far beyond the benefit of the doubt.

That’s why his latest suspension, a career-high five-game ban after a straight-up vicious elbow to Marcus Johansson, seems completely justified, if not deserved.

Now I know what you’re going to say.

The first and perhaps the most reasonable ideas of a systematically flawed argument: The hit was not penalized, making the jump to a technically legal hit to a five-game ban seem excessive. You could also make the (somewhat flimsy) case that Marchand had to make a choice between hitting Johansson or crashing into the Devil netminder. Though I would have to remark that such a hypothetical scenario seems like more of a stretch than the extension Marchand made with his right arm to make sure he cracked Johansson.

But maybe Marchand, targeted more than a few times this season, was simply defending himself from an incoming hit. Again, that holds up until you see Marchand’s extension and a listlessly gliding Johansson (possibly?) skating his way. Oh, and the fact that it’s Marcus bleepin’ Johansson -- a player that’s been whistled for just six penalties in over 460 minutes of action this season, and with none of those penalties coming as a result of rough stuff (not a single roughing, croschecking, boarding, or even interference penalty) -- coming at him.

You’ve also heard that Marchand is being unfairly punished two things; For prior transgressions that people believe should be thrown out the window if he’s getting a ‘fair’ trial. And also for some of the NHL’s earlier lapses or over-the-top punishments for lesser offenses, such as Dustin Brown’s non-suspension and then a suspension that put an end to Andrew Cogliano’s potentially record-breaking ironman streak. 

These theories do not hold up if you’re given a pinch of truth serum, though, and you know it.

When it comes to Marchand, we’re undoubtedly at the point where we simply ask why?

As the B’s top scorer, with a team-best 21 goals and 50 points despite missing eight games due to injury this season, there’s just no need for Marchand to throw that elbow. As the team clawing to their lead in the final moments of a 3-2 game, a win that would extend the B’s point streak to 17 games for the first time in 35 years, there’s no need to commit to revenge following a nothing play. As an All-Star for the second season in a row, there’s no need to give ammunition to those that will do anything to discredit your absolutely incredible career progression with lazy ‘he’s dirty’ narratives.

And given the upcoming slate for the Bruins, Marchand’s brainfart and subsequent return to the ultra-pest that crossed lines for status-building is simply inexcusable.

While the Bruins have a ‘gimme’ of sorts against the Senators on Thursday, the B’s will return from the All-Star break with games against the Ducks, Blues, Maple Leafs, and Red Wings. The Ducks and Blues have always been historically tough matchups for the Bruins, and the Maple Leafs seem like a first-round lock for the B’s. And it’d be nice for the Bruins, who have lost six-straight games to the Leafs, to collect a win before that first-round matchup, if only for their confidence at the start of what could be a deep run.

Needless to say, taking yourself out of these games is just plain dumb. 

And believe it or not, the Department of Player Safety seems to like Marchand.

They’ve given him the benefit of the doubt on more than a few occasions. Looking back on it, it's nothing short of a miracle that the league did not suspend Marchand for at least one playoff game after he clear-as-day speared Tampa Bay's Jake Dotchin in the groin at the end of the regular season in the first period of a meaningless game. They most recently let him off the hook when they decided to not even hold a hearing after what appeared to be a blatant headshot to the Islanders’ John Tavares (y'know, one of the NHL's star players) in December, and simply hoped that he’d remain true to his word as a reformed talent. And believe it or not -- and I know this is going to be especially hard for those of you in Quebec, Vancouver, or anywhere ‘cept here -- it’s hard not to like him. Marchand’s on-ice game is obviously among the league’s elite, his sense of humor is a charming one, and he’s a reporter’s delight as an always brutally honest interviewee.

He’s also consistently owned up to his mistakes after the fact when punished (or at least owns up to the recklessness or selfishness of his incidents), and has made a concerted effort to work the extra nonsense, which used to plague his game, out of his DNA.

But when it reappears and makes all the goodwill appear as nothing more than lip service, the punishment should fit the crime.

Marchand’s latest ban, which will seem like nothin' should No. 63 needlessly step back into his on-ice DeLorean yet again, does just that.

Bergeron scores 3 as Bruins beat Islanders 5-2

By VIN A. CHERWOO
AP Sports Writer

NEW YORK (AP) -- A day after going without a shot on goal, Patrice Bergeron regained his scoring touch for the rolling Boston Bruins.

Bergeron scored three goals Thursday night for his second hat trick in less than two weeks, leading Boston to a 5-2 victory over the New York Islanders that gave the Bruins at least a point for the 15th consecutive game.

Brad Marchand had a goal and two assists as Boston improved to 11-0-4 since its last regulation loss Dec. 14 against Washington - its best stretch since going 15-0-1 from March 2-30, 2014.

Bergeron had at least three goals in a game for the third time in his career and just 12 days after a four-goal performance at home against Carolina. He hadn't scored since that five-point night, but had four assists in four games, including two in a win at home against Montreal on Wednesday night.

"Last game was one of those nights where I was trying to find my wingers," the 32-year-old center said. "Tonight I was getting the looks again and I was trying to take them."

With 19 goals in 39 games this season, Bergeron is on pace to eclipse his career high of 32 set two season ago.

"I feel like I'm shooting just as much, maybe I get some better looks and Brad is finding me a little bit more in the slot," Bergeron said. "Puck goes in sometimes and sometimes it doesn't, and right now it is so I'm going to try to keep shooting and keep trying to find the back of the net."

Ryan Spooner had a goal and an assist, and Anton Khudobin stopped 22 shots as the Bruins improved to 20-3-4 since Nov. 15 and pulled within five points of first-place Tampa Bay in the Atlantic Division.

Jordan Eberle and John Tavares scored for New York, which has dropped seven of 10 - with each of the losses coming in regulation. Jaroslav Halak made 29 saves.

Bergeron completed the hat trick when he took a pass from Marchand, spun and fired from the left circle at 3:45 of the third period.

"When he's playing the way he is right now, it's fun to watch," Marchand said. "It's fun to be on the ice with him."

Tavares' 25th pulled the Islanders within two with about 5 1/2 minutes remaining. Marchand capped the scoring with his 20th, an empty-netter with just over a minute to go.

Boston took control with two goals in the second period and sealed it with two more in the third.

Spooner put Boston ahead 2-1 near the midpoint of the second. Off a faceoff in the Islanders' zone to Halak's left, Spooner backhanded the puck past the goalie for his seventh at 9:47.

Just 15 seconds after New York's Anders Lee was sent off for tripping, Bergeron got the puck on the right side after Torey Krug's shot went off Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech's leg and beat Halak with 6:11 left in the middle period. Krug got his 200th career point on the play.

"They got a break on the second goal," New York coach Doug Weight said. "The (power-play goal) slapped us in the face and we got away from our game. We got frustrated in the third (period)."

Eberle gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead 7:35 into the game when he beat Khudobin for his 15th. Mathew Barzal got his 32nd assist and 48th point on the play - both tops among all NHL rookies.

The Bruins tied it with 6:19 left in the first when Bergeron fired it past Halak from the inside edge of the right circle.

NOTES: Barzal has eight assists and 11 points in the last five games. ... Islanders F Josh Bailey, headed to his first All-Star game, returned to the lineup after missing four games with a lower-body injury. He had an assist on Tavares' goal. ... The Bruins swept the three-game season series, also winning 3-1 at home on Dec. 9 and 5-1 in New York on Jan. 2. ... Boston has won seven straight on the Islanders' home ice since a 3-1 loss at Nassau Coliseum on Nov. 2, 2013. That includes five visits to Barclays Center, the Islanders' home since the start of the 2015-16 season. ... Bergeron has nine goals and 14 points in his last eight games. ... Marchand, the Bruins' leader in goals, assists and points, has five goals and nine assists in his last seven games.

UP NEXT

Bruins: At Montreal on Saturday to wrap a two-game trip.

Islanders: At Chicago on Saturday to open a three-game road trip heading into the All-Star break.

Bruins beat Canadiens 4-1 in coach Julien's return to Boston

By KEN POWTAK
Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) -- The Bruins showed former coach Claude Julien what a changed style looks like in Boston.

David Pastrnak and Ryan Spooner each scored an early goal, Tuukka Rask stopped 21 shots and the Bruins beat Montreal 4-1 Wednesday night in Canadiens coach Julien's return to Boston for the first time since he was fired nearly a year ago.

Dismissed last Feb. 7 in his 10th season, Julien - who led the Bruins to the 2011 Stanley Cup championship - was replaced by assistant and current Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy, who opted for more up-tempo, charge-into-the-zone play from his defensemen as opposed to Julien's mostly defensive-minded style.

"We're trying to play with pace and have guys that can play that way," said Bruins defenseman Adam McQuaid, who was back after missing 36 games with a broken leg. "It's an advantage that way. I think everyone tries to play at their strength. We've been a little bit more up-tempo."

The surging Bruins have earned at least a point in 14 straight games (10-0-4), their longest stretch since going 15-0-1 in March 2014.

Julien was bothered by the play of his team, which had played well lately, going 2-0-2 after a five-game losing streak.

"We laid an egg - not good enough," he said. "Obviously, it's a disappointing loss, especially with the situation we're in."

Brad Marchand added a power-play goal in the third period, David Krejci had an empty-netter and Patrice Bergeron had two assists for Boston, which posted its second win over the Canadiens in five days. The teams meet again in Montreal on Saturday night.

"We're trying to do that against everybody, to be honest," Cassidy of his team's style.

Jakub Jerabek scored his first NHL goal for Montreal, and Carey Price made 28 saves.

Montreal had grabbed a 1-0 lead in the game's opening minute, but failed to maintain momentum.

"We made some mistakes in the D-zone and stopped playing," Jerabek said.

Rask extended his career-best point streak to 15 games (13-0-2), including a 4-3 shootout win at Montreal last Saturday.

Trailing 1-0, Boston tied it 6:50 into the first when Pastrnak took a pass from Bergeron at the bottom of the left circle and slipped a wrister behind Price.

The Bruins took the lead early in the second when Spooner's backhander from just outside the crease caromed into the net off the right skate of Montreal forward Jonathan Drouin.

Montreal had a two-man power-play advantage for 69 seconds midway into the second - immediately after Rask made a pad stop on Drouin's clean break in - but Boston limited the Canadiens' shots to mostly lower-percentage chances from the outside.

Marchand's team-leading 19th goal came 3:40 into the period.

Jerabek's shot from the left point found its way through a group of players in front and slipped into the net 31 seconds into the game.

NOTES: Julien got a brief ovation during a video tribute midway into the opening period, but the crowd's chance for prolonged applause was drowned out by loud music until the next faceoff. "It's always something that you kind of dread a little bit," he said. "You get a little emotional, but at the same time you're trying to keep your emotions intact so you can coach a game. I appreciate what they did for me." ... Willie O'Ree, 82, was honored in a ceremonial puck drop before the game, commemorating the 60th anniversary that he became the first black player to play in an NHL game. He was with Boston and played at Montreal. ... McQuaid took the spot of Kevan Miller, who was out sick. McQuaid had been healthy for a few weeks, but unable to crack the lineup. ... It was the 740th regular season meeting between the rivals.

UP NEXT

Canadiens: At the Washington Capitals on Friday.

Bruins: At the New York Islanders on Thursday.

Seguin scores in OT to lead Stars to 3-2 win over Bruins

By JIMMY GOLEN
AP Sports Writer

BOSTON (AP) -- Tyler Seguin made a move at the left circle to get past one defender, then skated into the slot as the other two Bruins went to the ice.

He swooped wide to Anton Khudobin's glove side, inducing the goalie to leave his skates as well, and then flipped the puck into the net for the game-winner.

"I feel like everyone was just sliding at me, and the whole time I wanted to pass," Seguin said after his goal with a delayed penalty man-advantage gave the Dallas Stars a 3-2 victory over Boston on Monday.

"I was just kind of looking for the right play and just kept holding it," the former Bruins first-round draft pick said. "I just kind of shot it, and luckily, it went in."

Stephen Johns and Alexander Radulov also scored for Dallas, and Kari Lehtonen stopped 30 shots.

Khudobin made 29 saves. Zdeno Chara and Ryan Spooner scored as Boston rallied from a 2-0 deficit to send the game into overtime and earn a point for the 13th consecutive game.

The Bruins have not lost in regulation since Dec. 14.

"It's not easy to get a point in this league," forward Patrice Bergeron said. "So you take the points. And the character we've shown, that's a positive."

Chara scored in the second period and Spooner tied it midway through the third. It was still 2-2 with about three minutes left in the 3-on-3 overtime when Boston's Matt Grzelcyk took down Stars defenseman John Klingberg with a two-handed shove behind the Dallas net.

The referee signaled for a delayed penalty, the Stars pulled Lehtonen for an extra skater and they spent the next minute holding the puck, knowing they could maintain a 4-on-3 advantage the rest of the way.

With 2:01 left, Seguin skated across the middle and beat Khudobin with the game-winner. Fans immediately began filing out, but those who remained gave an extra "Boo!" when his name was announced as the game-winner.

Seguin said he didn't notice the reaction "but I'm sure I'll see it on Twitter later on."

The Stars took the lead about four minutes into the second period when Johns scored from the left circle to finish off a four-man rush. They made it 2-0 when Jamie Benn won a faceoff and put a shot off Khudobin's left pad. It bounced right to Radulov in the slot, who flipped it over to his backhand and put it in the net.

But Chara's slapshot made it 2-1 with less than 3 1/2 minutes left in the second. And Spooner tied it midway through the third when his slapshot got through Lehtonen and trickled toward the net; Boston's Charlie McAvoy and Dallas' Esa Lindell fought to get to the rolling puck, but it crossed the line before McAvoy's stick gave it some help.

"We definitely showed some character coming back," Bergeron said. "(But we) definitely want to stay away from that. It's the wrong way to approach games."

NOTES: Bergeron took a puck off the skate in the second period and was in obvious pain but remained in the game to take the ensuing faceoff. ... Willie O'Ree, the Bruins forward who broke the NHL's color barrier in 1958, was at the game. ... The Stars are 8-4-3 versus Eastern Conference opponents this season. ... Dallas D Marc Methot (knee) missed his third straight game. ... Seguin was drafted No. 2 overall by the Bruins in 2010 and played his first three NHL seasons with Boston before being traded to Dallas.

UP NEXT

Dallas: Visits Detroit on Tuesday.

Boston: Hosts rival Montreal on Wednesday.

Danault hit in head by Chara's slap shot; Bruins top Habs

Associated Press

MONTREAL (AP) – Canadiens center Phillip Danault was awake and moving after taking Zdeno Chara's slap shot to the head. Considering how hard Chara can shoot, many at the silent Bell Centre feared it might have been much worse.

Danault was hospitalized after a frightening play in Montreal's 4-3 loss to the Boston Bruins on Saturday night, a game that ended with Brad Marchand's goal in the fourth round of a shootout.

Danault was taken off the ice on a stretcher after he was hit in the head by Chara's shot - the 6-foot-9 defenseman didn't wind up fully for the one-timer. The 24-year-old Danault was moving and speaking to medical staff before he departed to an ovation from the Bell Centre crowd.

Canadiens coach Claude Julien said after the game that Danault would remain in a hospital overnight and would be re-evaluated Sunday.

"You never want to see that," Julien said. "Regardless if it's your own team or the other team, no one wants to see injuries like that.

"They always make you worry. The players are still worried about him, but the reports are good so far."

Chara and other players from both teams gathered around Danault while he was down. As Danault was leaving the ice, Chara went over and said something to him.

"I wanted to make sure he was OK," Chara said. "He was talking to me and responding so that made me feel better that he's OK and he's not in a condition where he's not responding. So I was glad that he was doing OK."

Officials opted to play the final 1:37 of the second after intermission.

Marchand also scored in regulation, helping the Bruins improve to 9-0-3 in their last 12 games. Jake DeBrusk and David Krejci had the other goals for Boston, and Tuukka Rask made 27 saves.

"It's different, but this was just another game," said Marchand, who also scored in regulation. "We did a good job and look forward to the next one."

Alex Galchenyuk, Max Pacioretty and Nicolas Deslauriers scored for Montreal, and Carey Price had 29 stops. It was Galchenyuk's 100th career goal.

Claude Julien coached against Boston for the first time since he was fired by the Bruins last February and hired by the Canadiens a week later.

Montreal jumped in front 3:22 into the first when Pacioretty scored for the third straight game. Victor Mete, playing his first game back after helping Canada win world junior championship gold, picked up an assist when the rebound of his point shot was tucked inside the post by the captain of the Canadiens.

Marchand responded with a power-play goal at 17:11. He was left alone in front to take a feed from Patrice Bergeron and score his 18th of the season.

DeBrusk was sent in alone by Charlie McAvoy to beat Price with a high shot 2:55 into the second. Deslauriers picked up a loose puck at the Boston blue line and beat Rask with a low shot from the slot at 5:45.

Galchenyuk put the Canadiens in front again with a power-play wrist shot under the crossbar at 8:51. It was his 11th goal of the season.

But the Bruins tied it again with 2:18 left in the second. Jakub Jerabek swiped at and missed a bouncing puck and Krejci pounced on it and beat Price from close range.

NOTES: Boston outshot Montreal 29-25 in regulation time and 32-30 overall.

UP NEXT

Bruins: Host Dallas on Monday.

Canadiens: Host the New York Islanders on Monday.

---

More AP hockey: https://apnews.com/tag/NHLhockey

Malkin's overtime goal rallies Penguins to win over Bruins

By DAN SCIFO
Associated Press

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Penguins coach Mike Sullivan believes the bye week has arrived at a perfect time for his up-and-down team.

Pittsburgh took an early two-goal lead before the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions were forced to rally from a two-goal hole with the final three goals of the game against Boston. Evgeni Malkin's second goal of the game at 2:51 of overtime capped the rally, as the Penguins beat the Bruins 6-5 Sunday night.

"It will be both a mental and physical break for everybody and it should serve us well," Sullivan said of the team's mandatory five-day break. "I don't think it's a bad thing for us to get away from the game a little bit and recharge the batteries, so when we all come back we should be excited to play."

The Penguins, coming off a 4-0 win at the New York Islanders on Friday, got consecutive victories for the first time since Dec. 1-2 when they defeated Buffalo twice by a combined score of 9-1. The Penguins, who have just six wins in their last 11 games, moved into the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, but are one point ahead of three teams tied for last place in the Metropolitan Division.

"To get results at this time of year is critically important because you can see how tight the league and our division is," Sullivan said. "There was a lot of adversity tonight, but I thought our guys stayed with it."

Phil Kessel set up Malkin, who one-timed a shot over Tuukka Rask's pad during a 2-on-1 for the game-winner. Malkin and Kessel scored power-play goals in regulation, while Kris Letang, Jamie Oleksiak and Riley Sheahan also scored for Pittsburgh.

Matt Murray stopped all six shots he faced in relief of Tristan Jarry, who made 14 saves on 19 shots before he was pulled after the Bruins' fifth goal.

Sidney Crosby had three assists after getting a season-high four points against the Islanders. Crosby, with points in five straight against Boston, had four points in 11 games before the last two.

"We were down, but we felt like we did some good things," Crosby said. "I think we've been resilient. They capitalized on some mistakes, but we stuck with it. We're starting to play with some speed and purpose out there."

Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, David Backes, Noel Acciari and Ryan Spponer all scored in regulation for Boston. The Bruins lost, but earned a point for the 11th straight game (8-0-3). Boston has now totaled 22 goals in its last four games.

Rask, who hasn't lost in regulation since Nov. 26, stopped 29 shots for Boston.

Patrice Bergeron, who scored four goals one night earlier during a win against Carolina, briefly left in the first period after blocking a shot, but he returned. Bergeron, who played 18:12, said X-rays on his right foot were negative, but he needed stitches.

That didn't take away the sting of the loss.

"We got the start we wanted, but then we got away from our game and they took it to us," Bergeron said. "There are some breakdowns that are uncharacteristic of us, but we stuck with it and we got a point out of it. Obviously, we know that we can be a lot better."

Both teams let two-goal leads slip away.

Pittsburgh held a 3-1 advantage in the first period on goals by Oleksiak, Kessel and Letang. But Boston rallied with the next four goals from Marchand, Acciari, Pastrnak and Backes to open a 5-3 lead.

Malkin's power-play tally with 3.6 seconds to play in the second period pulled Pittsburgh within one and Sheahan's short-side goal off the rush 2:54 into the third period tied the score.

Murray stopped Marchand's penalty shot with 1:01 to play in regulation to force overtime, setting the stage for Malkin to end it.

"It's hard when you're up by two goals and then you end up being down the way we were," Sullivan said. "Just our ability to stay in it and respond is a great indicator of our team leadership."

NOTES: Penguins D Brian Dumoulin played after missing the previous two games with a concussion. ... Penguins D Chad Ruhwedel missed his sixth game with an upper-body injury. ... The Penguins scratched D Ian Cole and F Carter Rowney. Boston sat F Frank Vatrano and D Paul Postma. ... Pittsburgh reassigned D Frank Corrado to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League.

UP NEXT

Bruins: Will take a mandatory five-day bye week before visiting Montreal on Saturday

Penguins: Will also take a mandatory five-day bye week before hosting Detroit on Saturday

Bruins score 3 in third, pull away to beat Islanders 5-1

By CHRISTIAN ARNOLD
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) -- Patrice Bergeron and Tuukka Rask helped the Boston Bruins keep up their winning ways to start the new year.

Bergeron had the go-ahead goal in the second period and the surging Bruins scored three times in the third to pull away for a 5-1 victory over the New York Islanders on Tuesday night. Tuukka Rask stopped 25 shots as Boston improved to 7-0-2 in their last nine, the longest streak of games with at least a point this season.

Danton Heinen, Brad Marchand, Tim Schaller and Noel Acciari also scored for the Bruins,

"We knew it was coming this year," Marchand said. "We had a lot of injuries and we knew we just needed some time to come together a bit, but you see the way some young guys are stepping up. It just seems like everyone is connecting. Every line has that chemistry."

Jordan Eberle had New York's goal and Jaroslav Halak finished with 33 saves as the Islanders lost their third straight. Josh Bailey was held without a point, ending his career-high streak at 11 games.

New York was 5-8-2 in December and the latest loss pushed the Islanders out of a playoff position with Carolina picking up a point in a shootout loss to Washington and having a game in hand.

"Adversity is hitting us between the eyes right now as a group, as a staff, as players," Islanders coach Doug Weight said. "We've got to find a way. If you're going to use words like flat or a little sluggish at times in the second or third it's concerning, but it's not going away.

"We have three really big games and we have to figure it out."

After being outshot 12-9 in the first period, the Bruins held the Islanders to just 14 shots through the final 40 minutes and beat them for the second time in two meetings this season.

"We just tried to stick to our game plan and our systems," Boston's Sean Kuraly said. "Be quick through the neutral zone and hold onto pucks down low, and be a good puck possession team. I think for most of the game we did that."

It was a fluky goal from Bergeron that put the Bruins ahead 2-1 in the second. A centering pass to Marchand took a funny deflection right to Bergeron on the side of the net and the Bruins' forward banked it in off Halak at 8:28. Marchand got his 200th career assist on the play.

Marchand then got his 16th goal at 9:04 of the third after the Islanders turned over the puck and David Pastrnak led an odd-man rush to make it 3-1.

Schaller deflected the puck out of the air to give the Bruins a three-goal lead with just under five minutes left in the game, and Accaiari added an empty-netter with 2:13 remaining.

"We know they're down a few guys, so you have to force those young kids to make plays," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. "I don't think we turned it over much. If we did we reloaded pretty well. That was a bit of the game plan, force them to break out and go 200 feet.

"When we get buzzing we're a decent forechecking team. We have some heavy lines and even our skilled lines are good at handling the puck."

The Bruins extended their record to 12-1-2 in their last 15 contests against Eastern Conference opponents.

Boston opened the scoring with a goal off a draw in the middle of the first period. Riley Nash won the faceoff and the puck went right to Heninen, who fired the puck past Halak at 8:17.

Eberle evened the score just over a minute later after he forced a turnover in front of the net and slid the puck past the extended leg of Rask for his 14th.

NOTES: The NHL announced Tuesday that Rask was named first star for December and Bailey was the second star. ... The Bruins scratched forwards Anders Bjork and Paul Postma and defenseman Frank Vatrano. ... Forward Tanner Fritz made his NHL debut against Boston after the Islanders called him up from the AHL on Monday. ... Forward Alan Quine and defenseman Dennis Seidenberg were scratched for New York.

UP NEXT

Bruins: Host Florida on Thursday night.

Islanders: At Philadelphia on Thursday night.

Ryan Spooner, Tuukka Rask help Bruins beat Senators 5-0

Associated Press

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) – The Boston Bruins pushed aside the reeling Ottawa Senators - again.

Ryan Spooner scored twice and Tuukka Rask made 25 saves in the Bruins' 5-0 victory over the Senators on Saturday night.

Noel Acciari, David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron also scored for the Bruins, 5-1 winners over the Senators on Wednesday night in Boston. Rask had his second shutout of the season and 40th overall.

"We took over the game," Rask said. "Their chances came early and that's it. We scored more and we always played the same way and that's great to see. Going ahead that has to continue because that's going to reward us in the future."

Mike Condon stopped 29 shots for the Senators. Ottawa was shut out five times in December, going 4-8-2 in the month. The Senators have been outscored 14-6 in their past three games.

"It's stupidity and frustration," Senators forward Mark Stone said. "We put ourselves in terrible spots when you look at the goals that they're scoring. We're putting ourselves in terrible situations."

Boston took a 4-0 lead in the second, scoring three goals on 13 shots.

Sean Kuraly provided a screen for Acciari, who beat Condon off his backhand for a 2-0 advantage. Just over two minutes later, Ben Harpur, looking to shoot the puck in at the blue line, had his shot picked off by Spooner, who broke in alone and beat Condon through the legs.

Krejci, returning to the lineup after missing six games with an upper-body injury, then picked up Charlie McAvoy's rebound and tucked it in at the side of the net on the power play. The Bruins took a 5-0 lead in the opening minutes of the third when Bergeron tipped Torey Krug' shot for their third power-play goal of the game.

The Bruins opened the scoring at 8:13 of the first on the man advantage. After a couple of solid saves by Condon, a rebound popped right out to Spooner.

NOTES: Ottawa D Fredrik Claesson served the second game of his two-game suspension. ... Boston LW Anders Bjork, C Frank Vatrano and D Paul Postma were healthy scratches.

UP NEXT

Bruins: At New York Islanders on Tuesday night.

Senators: At Detroit on Wednesday night.

Birthday boy McAvoy sends Bruins past Jets in shootout

By GETHIN COOLBAUGH
Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) -- Tuukka Rask's wire-to-wire dominance helped to ensure that Charlie McAvoy's 20th birthday had a happy ending.

Rask was nearly impenetrable for over 65 minutes before McAvoy scored the decisive goal in the shootout for Boston as the Bruins beat the Jets 2-1 on Thursday night.

"A cherry on top of a great effort by our team," McAvoy said after he improved to 2-for-2 lifetime in shootouts.

After Winnipeg's Nikolaj Ehlers' first attempt of the sudden-death portion of the shootout clanged off the post, McAvoy took the puck and meandered up the ice before tucking his shot past Connor Hellebuyck.

"I saw some room on the blocker side and I just wanted to shoot it there before he was able to recover," McAvoy said of his winning goal.

Rask made 37 saves and recorded a point for his eighth straight game (7-0-1) as the Bruins beat the Jets for the fourth straight meeting.

It was the first shootout victory for Rask in four tries since Nov. 3, 2016 against Tampa Bay.

"Whenever the (Winnipeg) breakouts happen, then the quality chances I guess happen too and become dangerous, so it happened a few times today, but we battled through and survived," Rask said.

Torey Krug scored his sixth goal of the season for Boston (18-10-5), which won its third straight game and sixth of its last eight.

Patrik Laine scored his team-leading 18th goal for the Jets. Hellebuyck had 32 saves.

"We had some good chances to score before my goal but (Hellebuyck) was good tonight and it was hard to get the puck past him," Laine said.

Winnipeg (20-10-6) had its two-game winning streak snapped. The Jets have only won once in Boston since the franchise relocated to Winnipeg in 2011.

Two goals less than a minute apart midway in the third period accounted for the only action through 65 minutes.

Rask and Hellebuyck matched each other before Krug's wrister from the point beat Hellebuyck glove-side with 11:44 remaining.

Laine answered just 57 seconds later, rifling a wrist shot past an out-of-position Rask off a feed from Ehlers.

"It's a grinder and no fun to play (in) and we did a good job of staying in that (game)," Jets coach Paul Maurice said.

NOTES: Boston C David Krejci (upper body) was placed on injured reserve Thursday before missing his third straight game. ... Bruins LW Brad Marchand, C Riley Nash and C Ryan Spooner didn't participate in the morning skate because of illness and were game-time decisions. Marchand played while Nash and Spooner sat. Rask revealed after the game that he was also sick, but did not consider sitting out. ... Mariner coached his 1,401st NHL game, tying him with Ron Wilson for eighth-most in league history. ... Boston recalled 22-year-old C Colby Cave on an emergency basis before the game. Cave received an interference penalty 1:11 into his NHL debut. ... Bruins D Adam McQuaid (broken right fibula) could return Saturday after missing 27 games. ... Jets captain and RW Blake Wheeler spent his first two-plus NHL seasons with Boston. ... Hellebuyck played in college at nearby UMass-Lowell.

UP NEXT

Jets: At the New York Islanders on Saturday.

Bruins: Host Detroit on Saturday.

DeBrusk, Khudobin send Bruins to 3-0 win over Sabres

By MATTHEW FAIRBURN
Associated Press

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- This time, the Boston Bruins had to win the hard way.

Jake DeBrusk scored for the second straight night, Anton Khudobin turned away 36 shots and Boston blanked the Buffalo Sabres 3-0 on Tuesday.

Tim Schaller and David Backes added empty-net goals in the closing minutes as the Bruins won for the seventh time in 10 games. After a 7-2 victory over Columbus on Monday, the Bruins held off the Sabres in a low-scoring affair that included defenseman Kevan Miller getting into a fight and two crucial blocked shots by Noel Acciari.

"In the third, on the road, in a back-to-back, usually a team's going to have a push and, I don't want to be disrespectful, I don't know if (the Sabres) had a true sustained push," Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said.

The Bruins came out flat in the first period, getting outshot 17-10. But they got a needed emotional boost when Miller dropped the gloves with Sabres defenseman Zach Bogosian and won the fight easily.

"Whenever something like that happens it wakes the guys up, kind of gets them going," Miller said. "I don't think we were playing that bad at that point but I think it's something that kind of sparks guys sometimes."

Buffalo threatened to get on the board first in the second period, but Khudobin made a pad save on Evander Kane to keep the game scoreless. Then with 9:46 remaining in the period, DeBrusk carried the puck into the Sabres zone and fired a wrist shot over Robin Lehner's shoulder.

DeBrusk has goals in consecutive games and four points in his last two.

"There's ups and downs for everybody, but obviously the last two games, things have gone my way," DeBrusk said. "I'm just trying to keep building."

With less than two minutes to go in the second, the Sabres narrowly missed capitalizing on two scoring chances. First, Kyle Okposo was late passing to Benoit Pouliot on an odd-man rush. Moments later, Pouliot had his shot blocked by Acciari after Khudobin allowed a big rebound.

"You need to have those types of guys in the room," Cassidy said of Acciari's shot blocking. "They're just good soldiers. It's very much appreciated the hits he takes and the hits he gives and the shot blocks. All those little things that make a team of character."

Khudobin stopped all 10 shots by the Sabres in the third to earn his first shutout of the season. The Bruins are 8-2-2 when Khudobin starts, and they needed him to stop 17 first-period shots.

"We need moments like this," Khudobin said. "Back-to-back, maybe legs are heavy in the first period. That's why I got the work. Moved a little bit more than usual, maybe, but everything went well.

"I'm glad I didn't get scored on."

NOTES: Since the start of the 2010-11 season, the Bruins are 219-13-15 when they carry a lead into the third period. ... Bruins forward David Krejci missed his second straight game with an upper-body injury. ... The Sabres activated Jacob Josefson from injured reserve. He missed nine games with an ankle injury. ... The Sabres have been shut out four times in their last 11 games and have 17 goals in that span.

UP NEXT

Bruins: Host the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday in the opener of a three-game homestand.

Sabres: Host the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday in the finale of a three-game homestand.

Sabres hope effort translates into win vs. Bruins

Stats, LLC

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Consistency remains a problem for the Buffalo Sabres as they look to turn things around for good.

Buffalo will look to put forth a more consistent effort on Tuesday night in a nationally-televised home game against the Boston Bruins.

The Sabres (8-18-7) are coming off one of their better offensive efforts of the season on Friday against the Carolina Hurricanes. In that game, former second overall pick Jack Eichel delivered his first career hat trick but the Sabres ultimately came up short in a 5-4 overtime defeat.

Those outcomes are the story of the season in recent weeks for Buffalo. After a dreadful stretch in November that saw Buffalo lose 11 of 12 games, the Sabres have been better as of late but have yet to see it pay off in the standings.

Buffalo has points in five of its last six games but has also lost four of its last five games (1-1-3).

"There was a lot of good things, but at the end of the day, we only get one point," Eichel said after the loss to Carolina. "It stings a little bit.

"It's not good enough to get a point. It seems like it's been the reoccurring theme here of late. We've had good effort and put ourselves in games and had opportunities to win and we're coming out with overtime losses."

Sabres coach Phil Housley continues to stress consistency, structure and urgency in Buffalo's play on the ice.

"It's just those little details and I continue to talk about it, our play without the puck," Housley said. "It's that urgency that something bad could happen, and (against Carolina) it did."

With 28 points (11 goals, 17 assists), Eichel is second on the team in scoring. Evander Kane (14 goals, 17 assists) has been Buffalo's best and most consistent player this year and leads Buffalo in scoring.

One bright spot for Buffalo has been the play of goalie Robin Lehner, who has really come on as of late. Lehner has a save percentage of .911 in 25 games played this year.

The Sabres could get some help sometime this week as Jacob Josefson looks to return from an ankle injury. Josefson has missed much of the season due to injury but has performed well as a depth player when in the lineup.

Boston (16-10-5) is entering a busy period of the schedule; the Bruins are in the middle of a stretch of three games in four days and seven games in 10 days.

The Bruins head to Buffalo following a big 7-2 win over Columbus on Monday night at home. Improving on the power play was a focal point after struggling in a Saturday overtime loss to the New York Rangers and the Bruins came up with two power-play goals in the second period against Columbus to open the flood gates on offense.

"It was good to get the first goal," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said after his team scored the first three goals. "It's always an advantage, especially at home, to get the other team chasing the game."

Charlie McAvoy scored a power-play goal and added an assist. Fellow Bruins rookies Danton Heinen and Jake DeBrusk played key roles with a goal and two assists.

Heinen has four goals and nine points in the last seven games.

David Pastrnak leads the Bruins in scoring with 31 points (15 goals, 16 assists); Brad Marchand is second in scoring with 29 points (14 goals, 15 assists). Both Tuukka Rask (.912 save percentage) and Anton Khudobin (.915 save percentage) have excelled between the pipes.

Bruins' youth too much for lifeless Blue Jackets

BOSTON -- The third period was more than half over and Charlie McAvoy still needed an assist for a Gordie Howe Hat Trick -- a goal, assist and a fight.

He got it at 12:30 of the period as he and other members of the Boston Bruins youth group were too much for the Columbus Blue Jackets to handle in a 7-2 rout on Monday night.

"Oh, man, it definitely wasn't on the list," McAvoy said. "I know that I try to play the game with a lot of passion ... and stuff like that's going to happen."

The fight was with Jackets rookie Pierre-Luc Dubois, the third pick in the 2016 draft -- McAvoy was drafted the same year by the Bruins at No. 16.

"It happened really quick," the defenseman said. "I felt like I was able to protect myself pretty well.

"I came from college hockey so there was no fighting. Nothing like that. But I knew that the way I play, I try and play hard, and I play on the physical side, sometimes you're going to have to answer the bell I guess."

Fellow Bruins rookies played key roles, as Danton Heinen and Jake DeBrusk both had a goal and two assists. Heinen has four goals and nine points in the last seven games.

Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Backes added a goal and an assist, each, and Torey Krug also scored for the Bruins, who snapped a two-game losing streak and finished 1-1-1 on a three-game homestand.

The Bruins scored four goals in a 6:20 span in the third period to reach a season-high for goals and take command of the game.

Heinen, Krug, Bergeron and DeBrusk scored late to complete the one-sided game. David Pastrnak assisted on the final goal, extending his points streak to a career-high 12 games and Ryan Spooner had two late assists.

Tuukka Rask was bidding for his second shutout of the season, but Blue Jackets forward Josh Anderson converted a pass from Alexander Wennberg and snapped the shutout 8:32 into the third period. Seth Jones made it 7-2 in the closing seconds.

Rask, who is 6-0-1 in his last seven starts, made just 16 saves.

Sergei Bobrovsky, making his eighth straight start, made 38 saves and got little help from his teammates, falling to 2-5-2 lifetime against the Bruins (16-10-5).

The Blue Jackets have allowed a season-worst seven goals in two of their last four games.

"This one's inexcusable to me. There's absolutely no reason for a game like tonight," said Columbus captain Nick Foligno. "Especially, it's 3-1 with 11 minutes to go. We hadn't played great all night and we're still in it.

"To have that many goals unanswered, just the lack of emotion, the lack of care ... we were careless with the puck. It's almost like we were a deer caught in the headlights ... I'm at a loss for words, which doesn't happen often."

Marchand took a pass from Bergeron and scored his 14th goal of the season, extending his career-high points streak to nine straight games.

The Blue Jackets fell to 20-13-1 with their second straight and third loss in their last four games.

"We've got to keep our wits about ourselves and get better," said Columbus coach John Tortorella. "We gotta put some skin on ourselves here, take it on the chin like we did tonight and try to get better for out next game. That's all we can do ... right through our lineup we weren't good and this is the result."

NOTES: Columbus has allowed five power-play goals in the last four games. ... Bruins C David Krejci was a surprise no-show for warmups, then was declared out with an upper-body injury and will not travel to Buffalo for Tuesday night's game -- his 13th and 14th games missed this season because of what started as an upper back problem resulting from a slash. ... Boston D Adam McQuaid, out since Oct. 19 with a broken leg, is close to a return, which may come Tuesday night in Buffalo, when the Bruins will start Anton Khudobin in goal. He is 3-1-2 lifetime against the Sabres. ... The Blue Jackets host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday.

Capitals stay hot, continue mastery of Bruins

BOSTON -- Having spent three years at Boston University, Alex Chiasson says he always enjoys a return to TD Garden.

On Thursday night, the Washington Capitals winger enjoyed it even more.

"Obviously it's special for me here, Boston," Chiasson said after scoring his fifth and sixth goals of the season in the third period as the Capitals posted their 11th straight victory over Boston with a 5-3 win over the Bruins.

"Every time I come here ... usually I have dinner with some friends and a college roommate. I spent three years here at BU -- three of my best years for sure in my life so far. The whole thing was great."

And these two goals came at an important time for Chiasson. With fellow right winger T.J. Oshie out for the last five games and about to come back, this was a good time for Chiasson to have a two-goal game.

"He can count," Washington coach Barry Trotz said when asked about Chiasson's big game.

The teams play the final game of their season series in Washington on Dec. 28 -- one more chance for the Bruins to end this streak.

"At some point you definitely want to get it over with and win those games," said Boston's Patrice Bergeron, who scored two goals in the loss. "It's not something necessarily that I was thinking before the game, being honest with you, and it was a back-to-back game.

"We knew it was a challenge and we had to be good and be smart. A few breakdowns and a little lack of discipline made us pay is the bottom line."

The Bruins haven't beaten the Caps since March 29, 2014.

Strangely, Boston's next game is Saturday at home against the New York Rangers, who have beaten the Bruins six straight times.

Washington earned its ninth victory in its last 11 games Thursday night.

Braden Holtby, whose first NHL win was over Boston, stopped 34 shots to raise his career record against the Bruins to 13-2-0 for the Capitals.

Holtby came in with a 1.81 goals-against average and a .944 save percentage against Boston. The Bruins have scored 14 even-strength goals in 15 lifetime games against Holtby, who is 18-7-0 overall this season -- 2-0-0 against Boston.

Rookie Jakub Vrana, Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin (empty net) also scored for Washington (20-12-1). Ovechkin, scoring his NHL-high 22nd goal, also had an assist and has 44 points in 44 career games against Boston. Matt Niskanen had two assists for the Caps.

"It's nice to get a win on the road obviously," said Holtby. "I don't think we're playing as well as we wanted to on the road, but it's good for the confidence. You know it's a little bit of improvement from Long Island (in a loss Monday night)."

Bergeron scored a power-play goal 4:22 into the second period to tie the game 1-1 for the Bruins (15-10-4), who had a three-game winning streak snapped and lost for only the third time in their last 11 games.

After Chiasson personally turned the game from 2-1 to 4-1, Boston's David Krejci tipped in Charlie McAvoy's shot with 3:40 left. Bergeron scored another power-play goal, after the empty-netter, with 26.4 seconds left.

The goal was the 16th even-strength score for Ovechkin, matching his total from last season -- in just 33 games.

Anton Khudobin, playing the second half of his team's back-to-back (Tuukka Rask won in Detroit on Wednesday), made 17 saves but suffered his second straight loss after a four-game winning streak.

"We shot a lot of pucks and some things didn't go our way," Khudobin said. "When the black cat crosses the road, it's just a black cat across the road."

Asked what the black cat meant, he said, "That mean(t) we shot it how many times, 35? Hit how many crossbars (three)? They played pretty well offensively, even that third goal, kind of puck on the backdoor, I stopped it and it just crawled over my pad. That's what it means."

Brad Marchand set up Bergeron's first goal, notching his 400th NHL point and extending his points streak to seven games (four goals, seven assists). David Pastrnak had an assist to extend his point streak to 10 contests (five goals, seven assists).

Krejci also had an assist and Danton Heinan added two for Boston.

NOTES: Boston LW Matt Beleskey, who hasn't scored a point in 24 straight games dating back to last season, was placed on waivers for the purpose of sending him to Providence. He has two years, at $3.8 million per, left on his contract. ... Washington RW T.J. Oshie missed his fifth straight game with an upper-body injury but he's close to a return. ... Bruins LW Ryan Spooner, who has missed the last four and 19 of the last 24 contests with a groin injury, dressed for warmups but didn't play, while D Kevan Miller, who missed Wednesday night's game to witness the birth of a child, was back. ... The Caps host the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday before a four-game road trip, while the Bruins are home for the New York Rangers on Saturday.

Bruins prevail in OT on Marchand's goal

DETROIT -- The Boston Bruins finally made the plays they knew they could make.

Brad Marchand's goal 35 seconds into overtime gave Boston a 3-2 come-from-behind victory over the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena on Wednesday night.

The Bruins trailed 2-1 with less than 90 seconds left.

"If you don't take care of pucks -- which we didn't do very well early on -- you're not going to get much," Marchand said. "They worked hard. They outbattled us early on. Luckily we were able to battle back."

Marchand was also a big part of the tying goal, which came with 1:26 left. He sent a pin-point, cross-ice pass to David Pastrnak, who one-timed the puck into the empty side of the Red Wings net and past Jimmy Howard to tie the game 2-2 with goalie Tuukka Rask pulled for the extra attacker. It was Pastrnak's team-leading 15th goal.

For the winner, Marchand scored on a backhander off a breakaway as he fought off the check of Red Wings defenseman Mike Green. It was Marchand's 12th goal.

Noel Acciari also scored for Boston, which won its third straight. Rask stopped 31 shots.

"In the end, we got it going eventually. There's a lot of pride in that room," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. "We knew we needed to be better. In fairness, Detroit hasn't won much lately, but their will to block shots and keep the puck out of their nets was tremendous. You've got to give them credit. "

Tomas Tatar and Dylan Larkin scored for Detroit, which has lost 10 of its last 11 (1-5-5). Howard made 29 saves.

It was the third game in a row that the Red Wings have played well but only have a loss to show for it. On Monday, they led Florida 1-0 in the third period, only to lose 2-1 in overtime.

"Same thing we talked about last game," Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said. "... When you haven't done it, you might lose it (confidence) a little bit but we have to find it."

The Red Wings are 0-6 in overtime.

"Obviously it's hard to win when you have a minute to go and they come back again. I thought we played good again. We did a lot of right stuff," Tatar said. "We came up short. It's always hard to talk about it but we just can't get frustrated. You have to stay positive and find the good things on video what we did today and try to be better tomorrow."

Larkin's short-handed goal with 8:26 left in the third period gave the Red Wings a 2-1 lead. He took a pass from Darren Helm in the neutral zone, raced down the ice and put a backhand shot past Rask after a move. It was Larkin's fifth goal of the season. It came with Green in the penalty box for holding Pastrnak.

"It would be huge if we score another goal, get that two-goal difference," Tatar said. "We have to talk about what we did wrong at the end and eliminate it and be better by the end."

Acciari scored 3:02 into the third period to tie the game 1-1.

He put one in from just under the right circle off a goal-mouth scramble. It was Acciari's second goal. He came back from an upper-body injury, which caused him to miss the Bruins previous game.

Tatar's power-play goal 9:15 into the second period gave Detroit a 1-0 lead. His wrist shot from the left circle beat Rask low on the far side with Justin Abdelkader providing a net-front presence. It was Tatar's ninth goal and came 13 seconds after Boston's Patrice Bergeron went off for tripping Andreas Athanasiou.

Howard stopped Pastrnak on a breakaway with 9:28 left in the middle period.

The first period was scoreless. Detroit outshot Boston 9-2, but most of the shots were from the outside.

NOTE: It was the first of back-to-back games for Boston. The Bruins host the Washington Capitals on Thursday night. ... Detroit sent F Tyler Bertuzzi to Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League on Tuesday. ... Bruins D Kevan Miller missed the game because of the birth of his child. ... Red Wings assistant coach Doug Houda was formerly a Bruins assistant coach. ... Boston RW David Pastrnak played his 200th career game.

Backes, Bruins bruise Coyotes

BOSTON -- It is well known that hockey players typically bounce back from injury faster than other athletes, often returning to the same game after needing a serious amount of stitches.

David Backes is a hockey player. When the Boston Bruins center was told he needed eight weeks to recover after having 10 inches of his colon removed, he made it back in half the time.

Now, it looks as if he is getting into game shape.

"I'm feeling pretty good, actually," Backes said after scoring his first two goals of the season in the Bruins' 6-1 rout of the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday night.

Backes, playing in his fourth game back, said he felt sluggish but had an assist in a loss at Nashville on Monday night, the 500th point of his career. In Thursday, he turned a 1-1 game into a 3-1 lead, and the Bruins went on to beat the Coyotes for the 12th straight time.

"Maybe it's missing time, maybe it's being 33, but being on the ice, even if it isn't a long time, just to get out there and loosen up keeps me feeling good," he said.

Brad Marchand, who had a goal and an assist for Boston, said of Backes, "He's a huge leader for our team. He steps up all over the place -- in the locker room, on the ice, on the bench.

"There's a big void when he's not playing. We're very lucky to have the guy. He stepped up big tonight and really turned that game around for us."

Backes tipped home a Riley Nash shot for his first goal at 13:54 of the second period, and he swiped the puck from Alex Goligoski and went in alone for his second at 19:06 of the middle period.

"Contributing offensively is a good feeling," Backes said. "That's not lost on me, but I've always been one that trusted in the process -- trusted in playing hard, playing the right way and knowing that the results come from that.

"Over time, I know I'll get my looks, I'll get my opportunities. I've been there before, and it'll go in eventually."

Said Marchand, who has a four-game points streak: "He's a commanding presence in the room -- very vocal guy and very intelligent. He knows the game and knows what to say at the right time. He can really bring a lot of emotion to the game. He shows that in his play."

Marchand scored 15 seconds into the game and added an assist, David Krejci also had a goal and an assist, and Nash and Patrice Bergeron each had two assists in the win.

Krejci boosted the lead to 4-1 with a power-play goal 45 seconds into the third period. Danton Heinen converted his own rebound with 2:04 left, and Anders Bjork scored 55 seconds later.

Boston winger David Pastrnak, who recorded an assist, has points in seven straight games, with four goals and eight points over that span.

Tuukka Rask had an easy night, making 20 saves in his third straight win as the Bruins improved to 13-9-4. He is 10-1 lifetime against the Coyotes, who last defeated Boston in the opening game of the 2009-10 season in the first of two games played in the Czech Republic capital Prague.

Arizona's Christian Dvorak stole the puck from Brandon Carlo and went in alone to beat Rask with his first goal in 10 games, tying the game for the Coyotes (7-19-5) at 17:07 of the first period.

The effort by the visitors late in the contest led to a players' meeting postgame.

"It was really about the last 10 minutes. We can't do that," Dvorak said. "It can never happen again. We left Wedgie out to dry and that is unacceptable."

"Wedgie" is goaltender Scott Wedgewood, who fell to 2-4-2 in eight consecutive starts as Antti Raanta deals with a lower-body injury, although Raanta has been cleared to play. Wedgewood stopped 26 shots.

"Wedgie took the brunt of it, and he's played well for us," Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet said. "I hope they understand. That hurts because you shouldn't leave your goalie hanging out to dry like that."

The Bruins, who outscored the Coyotes 12-3 in two games this season, have won three of their past four games.

NOTES: Coyotes D Kyle Capobianco made his NHL debut. ... Bruins rookie RW Jake DeBrusk returned after missing three games with an undisclosed injury. ... Boston rookie D Charlie McAvoy entered the leading NHL defensemen in five-on-five ice time with 20:43 and logged 18:46 at even strength. ... The Coyotes are the youngest team in the NHL, averaging 25 years, 27 days and leading the league with 39 goals by players 22 and younger. ... Arizona continues its three-game road trip at Columbus on Saturday while the Bruins host the New York Islanders the same night.

Well-timed goal helps Predators hold off Bruins

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- NHL coaches get only one opportunity a game to call a timeout, so they have to be certain they use it at a moment when it can most help their team.

After watching his Nashville Predators turn a four-goal lead into a one-goal nail-biter Monday night, coach Peter Laviolette hit the reset button. It didn't take long for his team to respond.

Filip Forsberg scored on a breakaway just 34 seconds after Laviolette's timeout, and Nashville buttoned things up from there to close out a 5-3 win over the Boston Bruins at sold-out Bridgestone Arena.

Boston (12-9-4) tallied twice in 75 seconds to inject some apprehension into a building which has seen the Predators struggle with third-period leads most of the season. Zdeno Chara's point shot skipped by Pekka Rinne at 4:33, followed by David Pastrnak's wrister from the left circle that drew the Bruins within 4-3.

Like most coaches, Laviolette prefers to hold his timeout in case it is needed to challenge a goal for offside or goalie interference. But these circumstances demanded a different tack.

"One, to stop the game and send it in a different direction, and two, to remind them that we had to keep playing," Laviolette said when asked why he called for time. "We were playing too much defense at that point. We needed to get back on the attack and create some offense."

Roman Josi and Forsberg got the message. Josi sprung Forsberg for a breakaway with a pass through the neutral zone. Forsberg beat Tuukka Rask with a wrister to the glove side, his 14th goal of the season, at 6:22 to restore a two-goal advantage.

The goal not only settled Nashville down, but also served as a gut punch for Boston.

"The next shift after it's 4-3 still needs to be simple, still needs to be our game," Bruins right winger David Backes said. "Instead, they get a puck all the way through the neutral zone for a breakaway. That's a shift I'd like to have back and our group would like to have back."

There is no question Boston would also like to have the game's first 25 minutes back. The Predators (17-7-3) won the game in that span, running goalie Anton Khudobin out of the crease with four goals on only 14 shots.

Most of the damage was inflicted by the new first line of Craig Smith, center Kyle Turris and Kevin Fiala. The trio accounted for seven goals and three of the first four goals, with Smith personally giving Nashville a 2-0 first-period lead.

Smith pounced on the rebound of Alexei Emelin's point blast at 1:26, then lofted a wrister over Khudobin at 19:42 for his 11th goal. That is one fewer than he scored in 78 games last season.

"Shooting the puck, having fun, making plays," Smith said when asked why he is on a pace for his first 30-goal season.

Khudobin (7-1-2), who brought a 2.22 goals-against average and .932 save percentage to the rink, lasted barely over four minutes of the second period. Nick Bonino beat him to a rebound and scored his fifth goal at 2:15 to make it 3-0, and Fiala undressed Khudobin with a backhander to the net's roof at 4:10.

"The 4-0 lead is suboptimal at best and sometimes a death sentence," Backes said. "But I told the guys before you came in here, we battled and got back into the game."

Rookie defenseman Charlie McAvoy got the Bruins on the board at 10:14 of the second period with a one-timer on the power play, his fourth goal of the season. Rask settled things down and Boston made its push early in the third period.

However, Laviolette's timeout and Forsberg's scoring touch quickly quashed any thoughts of a blown lead for a team that has been outscored by 12 goals in the third period.

"They're constantly pressing, attacking," Laviolette said of the Bruins, "so if you can stay patient, you can get somebody behind the defense."

Rinne (16-4-2) stopped 37 of 40 shots to earn the win. Rask saved 10 of 11 shots after replacing Khudobin.

NOTES: Nashville C Ryan Johansen (upper-body injury) missed a game for the first time this season Monday night. He was hurt in the second period of a 3-2 shootout win over Anaheim on Saturday and didn't play the last 33-plus minutes that evening. ... Boston LW Jake DeBrusk (upper-body injury) missed his second game Monday night. DeBrusk tallied the go-ahead goal in his NHL debut against the Predators on Oct. 5. ... The Bruins scratched D Paul Postma, LW Matt Beleskey and C Frank Vatrano. ... Nashville scratched D Anthony Bitetto and LW Cody McLeod. D Yannick Weber (lower-body injury) drew back into the lineup after missing 10 games.