Bruins pull away from Blues in third period

[January 18, 2019]  Chris Wagner's two-point night included the go-ahead goal as the Boston Bruins earned a 5-2 victory over the visiting St. Louis Blues on Thursday.

With the score tied 2-2 at 5:27 in the third period, Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson's pass found a streaking Wagner for a partial breakaway. Wagner fought off defenseman Alex Pietrangelo to convert his sixth goal of the season and the third game-winner of his five-year NHL career.

Wagner also recorded an assist in the game. David Krejci led all Bruins scorers with three points, notching his third three-assist game of the season.

The Bruins turned in a strong rebound performance less than 24 hours after blowing a two-goal lead in a 4-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. Boston improved to 7-1-1 in the second game of back-to-backs this season.

Tuukka Rask earned his 252nd career victory, tying him with Hall of Famer Tiny Thompson for the most goaltender wins in Bruins history. Rask saved 28 of 30 shots for his sixth win in his past seven starts.

After a scoreless first period, both teams got on the board within a minute's time during the second period. Torey Krug put the Bruins ahead at the 3:31 mark, but Ryan O'Reilly quickly equalized for the Blues 52 seconds later.

Carl Gunnarsson's first goal of the season put St. Louis ahead 13:36 into the second. After missing three games due to illness, Gunnarsson marked his return to the lineup with a snap shot from the edge of the circle that evaded Rask.

Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy (73) passes the puck to left wing Brad Marchand (63) past the stick of St. Louis Blues goaltender Jake Allen (34) during the third period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Boston tied the score on a power play goal from David Backes 16 minutes into the second period. Backes was also making a return to the ice after being a healthy scratch for the Bruins on Wednesday.

Backes' goal gives Boston 17 power play scores in the past 15 games. The Bruins entered Thursday with the second-best power play percentage of any team in the league this season.

Wagner gave Boston the lead, and then Brad Marchand added an insurance goal for Boston at 13:12 of the third period. Sean Kuraly scored an empty-net goal in the final minute.

St. Louis forward David Perron recorded an assist to extend his career-high point streak to 13 games. Perron has six goals and 10 assists during the streak.

Blues goalie Jake Allen stopped 22 of the 26 shots he faced.

--Field Level Media

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