The Boston Bruins erased an early one-goal deficit with three straight goals and held on to defeat the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets 4-2 in the teams’ first meeting of the season on Thursday night.
Viktor Arvidsson bookended the night with two goals, scoring Boston’s opener in the first period and an empty-netter in the final minute of the third.
Sean Kuraly scored the eventual game-winner and Morgan Geekie also lit the lamp to extend his point streak to nine for the Bruins, who are 5-0-3 in their last eight games and lead the Blue Jackets by six points for the second Eastern Conference wild-card spot. The Capitals are four points back of the Bruins.
Joonas Korpisalo was the victor in goal (36 saves, 19 in the first period), holding off Columbus despite its 40-23 advantage in shots.
Michael DiPietro made two saves in 6:03 as Korpisalo was taken off the ice following a collision with Columbus forward Miles Wood that led to a goaltender interference penalty and Boston’s go-ahead tally on the power play.
Adam Fantilli had a goal and an assist, Kirill Marchenko also scored and Marson Marchment assisted on both goals for Columbus, which won its last seven games before the Olympics and lost for just the second time under coach Rick Bowness (10-2-0).
Elvis Merzlikins made 19 stops in the Blue Jackets net.
Korpisalo saved Mathieu Olivier’s close-range backhander amidst early opportunities for both teams, but the visitors drew first blood on Marchenko’s breakaway at 4:32. Charlie McAvoy’s misplay turned the puck over to Mason Marchment, who sprung Marchenko down the middle for a blocker-side wrist shot.
After Boston came up empty on the game’s first power play and extended in-zone pressure that followed around the halfway mark of the first, Korpisalo continued an outstanding start when he denied Fantilli on a 2-on-1 less than a minute later.
Arvidsson tied the game at 15:51, taking a shot from the right wall that bounced in off a defender as Casey Mittelstadt drove towards the net.
The Bruins jumped into their first lead at 6:54 of the second. With 40 seconds gone on Wood’s infraction, Geekie took David Pastrnak’s pass for a one-timer from the left dot. DiPietro preserved the 2-1 score with a key blocker save on Fantilli point-blank less than a minute after Geekie’s goal.
An Ohio native playing against his former team, Kuraly extended the Boston lead to 3-1 on a slapper in transition with 8:45 left.
Fantilli, who had another look clank off the post in the opening minutes of the third, finally found twine to make it 3-2 with 6:15 to go. He ripped home a Marchment pass from the high slot.
Korpisalo stood tall again late, making an outstretched leg save on Zach Werenski to keep Boston in front just after Fantilli’s goal before holding off the visitors’ 6-on-5 surge.
