Bruins gut out two points that could prove crucial in making the playoffs

Brad Marchand looked terrible.



It was less than 15 minutes after the Boston Bruins dismissed the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 in a shootout when Marchand was walking out of TD Garden. He was drained. He had huge bags under his eyes. He looked miserable — the kind of miserable where the only place that will make you somewhat happy is your bed or the bathroom.

The flu bug has begun its annual attack and it quickly spread through the Bruins’ locker room. Marchand, Riley Nash and Ryan Spooner were sent home before the team’s morning skate on Monday at TD Garden. While Marchand played, Spooner and Nash stayed home.

Patrice Bergeron missed some shifts late in the game and looked absolutely exhausted on one quality-scoring chance when he was unable to elevate the puck from point-blank range before Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck made an easy left-pad save.

The Bruins finished with the win and it was the type of game that will prove crucial when the season is completed on April 7. These two points could be the difference between a playoff berth or an early offseason. It’s not like the Bruins don’t understand that concept because they’ve missed out on the playoff in recent years.

In 2014-15, the Bruins missed by two points. In 2015-16, Boston missed by three points. Basically, it’s this type of game, in the middle of the season, against a Western Conference team, that two points can propel the Bruins into spring hockey.

These types of points always add up in the end.

“We’ve seen that around here,” Bruce Cassidy said. “But it’s the way you win. We’re missing (David Krejci and Nash) down the middle. You’ve got guys battling through that weren’t 100 percent, playing today. So, it always feels a little better when you can suck it up and get it done.

“It’ll mean something at the end of the year, but it means more now going forward that the guys know they contributed.”

The mood after any type of win is always a positive one, but since many of the Bruins were ill, it was a bit different.

“Yeah, for sure,” said Torey Krug. “A couple of bodies go down for us and good teams find a way to win games. Tuukka stood tall for us and made a lot of key saves, and the guys stepped up that had the opportunity, so it was good.”

The Bruins have already dealt with so much adversity this season with the countless injuries. Every time it seems like things are settling down and getting back to normal, something else pops up. Still, the Bruins are 12-3-1 in their last 16 games. They have caught the attention of the rest of the league, and with half a lineup, they defeated a strong Western Conference team.

Sure, there are plenty of important games during the season, but this could be the one Cassidy looks back on in April and admits this victory is what propelled us into the Stanley Cup playoffs.

“If you want to play into May, you have to be comfortable in these types of games,” Cassidy said. “You just have to be when it’s tough-going, good goaltending and hard defense and you’ve got to stick with the program, so good for them.”