The Bruins and Columbus Blue Jackets met for the second time in six days with Boston coming out on top 3-1 at TD Garden on Sunday night.
With the win, the Bruins have won their last three matchups and improved to 17-4-3 on the season while the Blue Jackets fell to 8-14-4.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
In the second half of a back-to-back, the Bruins got their game legs going early, but couldn't solve Blue Jackets goaltender Spencer Martin through 40 minutes of play.
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The Bruins and Blue Jackets were knotted at zero at the end of the first frame with Jeremy Swayman stopping all eight Columbus shots he faced. In the second period, the Bruins took it to the Blue Jackets outshooting them 16-9 in the middle frame, but it was Columbus that got on the board first when Boone Jenner recorded his team-leading 13th goal of the season with 35 seconds remaining in the period.
Columbus held the 1-0 lead heading into the final period of regulation when Brad Marchand put the Bruins on his back and recorded a natural hat trick, scoring three goals across 5:50 minutes to start the third period.
The three unanswered goals by Marchand lifted Boston to its third straight victory after snapping a three-game skid to the Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers and Blue Jackets where the Bruins were outscored 17-8.
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STARS OF THE GAME
-- Marchand registered his fifth multipoint game of the season, his first since notching two assists against the Montreal Canadiens on Nov. 18.
-- Swayman made 22 saves for his ninth win of the season.
-- Charlie McAvoy had two assists on the night for his fourth multipoint game of the season.
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WAGER WATCH
FanDuel Sportsbook set the odds at +1000 that Marchand would light the lamp for the game's second goal. The Bruins captain cleared those odds with his ninth goal of the season in the third period. A $100 wager on Marchand would have netted a $1,100 payout.
UP NEXT ON NESN
The Bruins host the Sabres on Thursday night in Boston's second matchup against Buffalo this season. Puck drop from TD Garden is slated for 7 p.m. ET and you can watch it live on NESN following an hour of pregame coverage.
Featured image via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
