Boston doubles up Blue Jackets, 4-2

In Boston, the Bruins scored two quick goals in the third period to break open their game with the Columbus Blue Jackets in a Saturday matinee.

The teams entered the third with the Bruins holding a 2-1 lead, all three goals had come off the power play.

Taylor Hall scored at 12:41 of the third and Tomas Nosek  hit for a marker 19 seconds later for a 4-1 lead.

“It’s not easy to be up here [playing at a high level] the whole time,” Hall said. “And I think tonight maybe we found our, maybe our B-game. We found it in the third period, like I said, but it wasn’t good enough for the first couple periods.”

Patrik Laine scored at 14:29 to make it 4-2, but that was as close as the Jackets would get.

Jeremy Swayman made 31 saves in the Bruins win.

“Big two points,” Swayman said. “We don’t lose two in a row, so we were excited. It was a big night for [Patrice Bergeron] and we were just super, super motivated to get that win for him.”

Boston improved to 24-4-2.

“They play hard defensively,” Columbus captain Boone Jenner said. “They’re stingy back there, and you gotta fight for your chances. We knew that going in, so [we’ve] got to generate the hard way against teams like that.”

David Pastrnak and David Krejci had power play goals for Boston to give them a 2-1 lad after two periods of play.

“We’re playing good teams,” Boston’s Patrice Bergeron said. “If you let them hang around, you know, they’re going to find a way and then that’s when trouble starts, right? So, I think when you’re able to get that next goal, the extra goal, that’s when you kind of get that momentum or you take the wind out of their sails.”

The Blue Jackets dropped to 10-18-2.

“There’s been several games here we’ve put a lot of good minutes in,” Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said. “It’s a couple moments that’s hurting us, and that’s the frustrating part because you’re pouring a lot into these games, you’re not getting any results, so it’s too bad.”

Boston took a 1-0 lead in the first period on Pastrnak’s goal.

“[Pastrnak’s] ability to see plays, make plays in a flash of an eighth of a second,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said. “He thinks the guys in his shot lane, which he was. He takes a step to the middle and lets a rocket go.”

Boone Jenner hot off the power play at 14:00 of the middle frame to tie the game, 1-1.

“We tied the game up 1-1, and that’s a big goal,” Columbus’ Johnny Gaudreau said. “You need to score goals like that and then, obviously, we took a few more penalties, and they capitalized on a few more, but we can still get better each day.”

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Daniil Tarasov made 35 saves in the Columbus loss.

“It was great to get those couple goals,” Laine said. “But when they score four, two’s not gonna cut it. So, just got to kind of regroup and take the positives from this game and then move on.”