BSJ Game Report: Bruins 3, Blue Jackets 2 (OT) - DeBrusk lifts Boston past Columbus in overtime

Everything you need to know from the Bruins’ 3-2 overtime win over the Blue Jackets, with BSJ insight and analysis:

BOX SCORE

HEADLINES 

DeBrusk the hero in overtime: Jake DeBrusk is once again on a roll. The B’s winger might be known for his hot-and-cold stretches, but the Bruins have never seen the streaky forward go on a scoring warpath quite like this.

The Blue Jackets were once again on the wrong end of a DeBrusk scorcher Monday night, with the B’s winger lighting the lamp twice — including the game-winner just 1:03 into overtime — to lift Boston to a 3-2 victory at Nationwide Arena.

DeBrusk has now scored a goal in five straight games (a new career-high), and is now up to 21 tallies through 64 games, which stands as the second-highest scoring total of his career (27 goals in 2018-19).

Even though Columbus is not exactly a formidable opponent, two points were needed on Monday, especially with the Maple Leafs and Lightning battling down in Tampa. With Boston’s win, the B’s are now tied with the Bolts for third in the Atlantic (and hold a tie-breaker due to the head-to-head series).

On a night in which Boston’s execution left a lot to be desired, especially on the power play, DeBrusk was money once again. 

There were a lot of valid questions posed in the immediate aftermath of the trade deadline in regards to DeBrusk and what kind of buy-in the Bruins were going to get from him down the final stretch of the 2021-22 season. 

Fair to say, he’s delivering, and then some. 

B’s lose Frederic, Pastrnak

Boston’s OT victory was diluted a bit by the injury bug, as Trent Frederic exited the contest in the second period due to an upper-body injury — while David Pastrnak had to head down the tunnel in the third with what looked like the same core injury that has been nagging him for some time now.

The optics didn’t look good for a guy with a concussion history in Frederic, who had an awkward collision with Columbus’ Jake Christiansen while crossing over the blue line. It’s a brutal development for both the B’s and Frederic, who has been playing the best hockey of his young career on that third line with Charlie Coyle and Craig Smith.

As for Pastrnak, who did not return after getting tangled up with Vladislav Gavrikov in the early minutes of the third period, it might be time to give the sniper some time off, especially with so many games still scheduled over the final three weeks of the regular season.

THREE UP

Jake DeBrusk: It sure seems like DeBrusk has bought in with this team. The B’s top-line winger is now up to six goals and eight total points over his last five games — and has helped spark this top line over the last week-plus of action.

Craig Smith: Once again, Smith delivered the coup de grace at the end of another extended O-zone shift for this third line. Smith’s heater has been one of the primary reasons why this bottom-six unit has been cashing in early and often over the last two months, with Smith now up to 10 goals in his last 14 games.  

Charlie McAvoy / Hampus Lindholm: Boston’s top D pairing just continues to demolish the competition since the deadline. McAvoy recorded his 40th and 41st assists of the season on Monday, setting up DeBrusk’s opening tally with a crisp stretch pass before adding a secondary helper on Smith’s snipe. McAvoy, whose previous career-high in points was 32, is now up to 49 points through 66 games in 2021-22. He’s now up to nine points (all assists)  in his last five games. 

Not to be outdone, Lindholm was also a workhorse (24:25) out on the ice and helped generate DeBrusk’s OT winner by scooping up a skittering puck in the O-zone and making Columbus pay off the turnover. 

TWO DOWN

Power play: It wasn’t just the fact that the Bruins went 0-for-5 on the night and could have saved themselves a lot of trouble by cashing in at least once on the man advantage. It was that Boston did absolutely nothing on all five bids, with the Blue Jackets capitalizing time and time again on careless puck play and errant passes. Just a dreadful showing from this special-teams unit. 

Last-minute goals: In what has been a recurring issue this season, the Bruins were once again doomed by relinquishing a goal in the last minute of a period, with the B’s coughing up a game-tying goal to Zach Werenski with just 16 seconds to go in the second frame. Considering how much momentum can be harnessed from a last-minute tally, the B’s need to snuff out these D-zone slip-ups and tighten things up before the playoffs arrive. 

PLAY OF THE GAME

LOOSE PUCKS 

The Blue Jackets were pretty steamed after Brad Marchand’s heavy hit on Andrew Peeke here, but I don’t think it was a dirty play. An unfortunate ending for Peeke in terms of him slamming into the glass/boards, but I don’t think Marchand left his feet here. 

Add in the fact that Peeke later returned to the contest, and hopefully the usual discourse surrounding No. 63 doesn’t last very long in this instance. 

Also … not really sure why Marchand got two minutes out of this interaction — other than his reputation. 

At least Marchand managed to make friends while miring in the sin bin. 

LOOKING AHEAD

The Bruins will continue their four-game road trip on Tuesday with a matchup against the Detroit Red Wings. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m.