Bruins Bounce Back With Victory Over Blues

The Bruins had a much better start tonight than what we saw on Tuesday.  They had a better pace to their game and were matching the skating and physical play of the Blues during the first period.

David Krejci snapped an eight-game goal drought to open the scoring at 12:32 of the first period.  During a mad goal mouth scramble, Jake Allen lost his crease and sight of the puck while Krejci located it and put it into a wide-open net. The goal also ended a streak of eight straight games in which the Bruins allowed the first goal of the game.

Blues coach Mike Yeo challenged for goaltender interference as Allen was prevented from getting back into the crease by a sprawled-out Jake DeBrusk and Ryan Spooner.  However, the goal was upheld after the war room in Toronto determined that there was no interference on Allen. Ironically, Debrusk and Spooner were credited with the assists in Krejci's ninth goal of the season.

The Bruins dominated the second period by outshooting the Blues 22-6, but Allen was fantastic during the middle frame stopping every shot he saw. He denied Debrusk a couple of times off a great centering play and then prevented Krejci's second goal of the game with a great glove save after he dangled his was around the St. Louis defense.

Early in the third period, Jaden Schwartz had a great scoring chance as a rebound found his stick in the slot, but Tuukka Rask's glove robbed him from tying the game on the backhand.

The first penalty of the night was called at 8:35 of the third period as Vladimir Tarasenko was nailed for hooking Torey Krug.  29 seconds later, the NHL's Second Star of the Month of January Patrice Bergeron doubled the Bruins lead.  David Pastrnak got the puck below the goal line and fed it to Bergeron at the right dot where he blasted a one-timer home.  Spooner picked up his second assist of the game on Bergeron's 21^st goal on the season.

Schwartz did eventually get the Blues on the board at 18:28 of the third period.  With Allen pulled for the extra attacker, Tarasenko's shot from above the right circle was redirected by Brayden Schenn in the high slot before Schwartz got his stick on it at the side of the net.

Former Blues captain David Backes iced the game with an empty-net goal with less than a second remaining in the game. 

The Bruins will be back at it on Saturday night when the host the Toronto Maple Leafs and try to put more distance between them in the Atlantic Division standings.