BOSTON — The Boston Bruins got popped in the mouth in the first period against the Carolina Hurricanes.
The B’s faced a one-goal deficit after the opening 20, and were down a man when Marcus Johansson was injured following a heavy hit from Micheal Ferland in the first few minutes of the period. The Bruins were outhit 13-8 in the first period.
But as has been a theme during the team’s 17-game point streak, the Bruins showed resilience, battling back to take a 4-3 overtime win Tuesday night at TD Garden.
A big part in that win was Jake DeBrusk and David Krejci, who after losing their linemate, linked up for a pair of goals, including the game-winner, which DeBrusk created with a vicious forecheck, stripping Justin Faulk and feeding Krejci for the tally.
Krejci and DeBrusk have formed a consistent connection on the Bruins’ score sheet. Krejci has four goals and 14 points over his last 10 games, while DeBrusk has points in his last four games and has eight goals and 15 points over his last ten.
“I think when you play with a guy for almost two years now, you generate that with just , different things like that,” DeBrusk said after the game. “I could have found him a couple times tonight. I was saying I owed him one so it was nice for us to connect there at the end.
“He’s been playing great all year. He’s the biggest reason why I have had success personally as well. So, to have a guy like that in my corner is something I don’t take for granted.”
It’s been hard to tell DeBrusk is playing in just his second season in the NHL. The 22-year old has potted 38 goals in 127 games and is has 22 this season.
“We’ve been playing together for a while now. It’s nice that it’s been going in the net,” Krejci said, praising his linemate. “When he is hot he’s hot. He’s been skating, he’s been making some plays.”
If Johansson’s injury sidelines the Bruins’ other second-line winger, DeBrusk and Krejci once again will shoulder the weight of leading the team’s secondary scoring.
But Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy showed confidence in his second line.
“They go hand in hand,” Cassidy said of the DeBrusk-Krejci connection. ” … Usually when they’re going well, they are going well together. I think it’s like (Patrice Bergeron) and (Brad Marchand) in that way. We saw the birth of that last year and it’s really growing this year.”
Here are some other notes from Tuesday’s Hurricanes-Bruins game:
— Bergeron gave the Bruins a 3-2 lead in the third period with a shorthanded goal off an assist from Marchand. It was Boston’s fourth shorthanded goal this season. The goal also gave Bergeron 794 career points, putting him in sole possession of sixth place on the Bruins’ all-time list. He has a long way to go to catch Bobby Orr at 888 points.
— Meanwhile, the Bruins penalty kill was a whopping 5-for-5 against the Canes. Their penalty kill now is operating at a 81.7 percent clip.
— Jaroslav Halak made 34 saves in the win. The 33-year-old extended his point streak to seven games, going 5-0-2 in that stretch.
— Chris Wagner netted his 10th goal of the season, resetting a career high for the fourth line winger from Walpole, Mass.
— The Bruins’ sellout streak reached 420 games.
