It wasn’t easy, but the Bruins ended their long road trip on a high note with a 5-4 shootout win over the Blue Jackets on Saturday night at Nationwide Arena.
Patrice Bergeron scored on the power play in the third period to give the Bruins a one-goal lead, but Jakub Voracek scored with 1.8 seconds left in regulation to send the game to overtime before it went to the shootout.
David Pastrnak scored the game-winner in the third round of the shootout to send the B’s home with a 10-point road trip.
The Bruins moved to 34-18-4 , while Columbus fell to 28-25-3.
You can check out the full fox score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Bruins need help on defense.
The NHL trade deadline is March 21 and general manager Don Sweeney may want to shift his focus to get some help. Columbus easily could have had five goals after two periods if it wasn’t for Jeremy Swayman, who continued to make highlight-reel saves and keep the Bruins in the game. There are other areas of need, yes, but the Bruins have received more production from their bottom six lately, and Saturday’s game highlighted the need for another solid blueliner.
We saw the B’s lose to the Anaheim Ducks with 22 seconds left, and Columbus scored with 1.8 seconds remaining in the game.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Jake DeBrusk continued his hot streak by opening up the game with a goal in the first period. The forward now has eight goals in as many games for the Bruins.
DeBrusk has been playing some of his best hockey of late since being promoted to the top line with Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron, and he hasn’t really shown any signs of slowing down.
— Erik Haula was one of Boston’s hottest players on its road trip and made sure to end it on a high note with a goal to up his point total to eight in the Bruins’ last six games.
— Craig Smith, fresh off a hat trick against the Vegas Golden Knights, tied the game in the third period. Smith almost is averaging a point-per-game in his last 10 outings, scoring four goals and amassing five assists.
The secondary scoring has been building on this road trip, and if it can continue to be a strong point to this team, then the Bruins could become quite dangerous.
WAGER WATCH
The Bruins had -235 odds to beat the Blue Jackets, according to DraftKings Sportsbook (bet $235 to win $100), and they certainly brought it down to the wire.
If you were feeling bold, though, and took DeBrusk at +1400 to score the first goal of the game then you were in luck before the first period ended.
UP NEXT ON NESN
The Bruins return home Monday night to welcome the Los Angeles Kings — a team they just beat 7-0 — to TD Garden. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET, and you can catch an hour of pregame coverage beginning at 6 p.m.
