Bruins Beat Blue Jackets In Shoot Out
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Tuukka Rask stopped all three Columbus attempts and rookie Tyler Seguin scored the lone shootout goal to lift the Bruins to a 3-2 win over the Blue Jackets on Tuesday night, ending Boston's season-worst four-game losing streak.
Seguin, the No. 2 selection in the 2010 draft who was scratched the last two games, faked Steve Mason with a left-to-right move and scored inside the right post.
Rask made 34 saves through overtime, and David Krejci and Rich Peverley scored regulation goals for Boston, which won the 2,800th game in the history of the 87-year-old franchise.
The Bruins, who won in Columbus for the first time since 2003, entered as the third seed in the Eastern Conference, only two points ahead of Northeast Division rival Montreal.
Grant Clitsome and Scottie Upshall scored for Columbus, which blew two one-goal leads and has lost eight of nine, all but falling out of playoff contention in the West. Mason finished with 27 saves.
Both teams had chances in overtime. Boston peppered Mason with three prime chances in the first 30 seconds leading to a Columbus timeout.
With just over a minute left, Columbus' Antoine Vermette and Jan Hejda had goal-mouth chances, but Rask held his ground.
Tied 1-1 midway through the third period, Rask did overplay a scoring chance by R.J. Umberger, sliding far out of his crease. The puck slid to Upshall, who slotted it home for his 20th, extending his career high. The goal was his fourth in eight games since being acquired by Columbus at the trade deadline.
Looking to capitalize on a power play moments later, Derick Brassard gave the puck away just inside the attacking zone on a Blue Jackets advantage. Peverly skated down the ice, turned defenseman Fedor Tyutin inside out, and stuffed the puck between Mason's legs for a short-handed score 2 minutes after Upshall's goal.
Right off the ensuing center-ice faceoff, Columbus cut in and Antoine Vermette rung a shot off the right post on a centering pass from Upshall.
In an up-tempo first period, Clitsome converted a slap shot through traffic with under a minute left.
The back-and-forth play continued in the second, and Krejci pulled the Bruins even at 12:20 deflecting a blast from Chara, who was mildy booed throughout the game. Last week, Chara's controversial hit on Montreal's Max Pacioretty sidelined the forward with a fractured vertebrae and severe concussion.
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