Blue Jackets rally, lose to Bruins in shootout after Nash ceremony

COLUMBUS --The Boston Bruins ended a six-game road trip with their fifth win, 5-4 in a shootout against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Saturday.

David Pastrnak scored the only goal of the shootout in the top of the third round after Blue Jackets forward Jakub Voracek tied it 4-4 with three seconds left in the third period during a 6-on-4.
"Great game to watch. Fast, physical, great saves," Voracek said. "A win at the end would be even better."

Patrice Bergeron and Jake DeBrusk scored, Brad Marchand had two assists, and Jeremy Swayman made 20 saves for Boston (34-18-4), which has won seven of its past eight games.
"A lot of guys can feel good about themselves, and that's what you want with your group, to feel they can win every night," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said.
Vladislav Gavrikov, Gustav Nyquist and Zach Werenski scored, and Elvis Merzlikins made 28 saves for Columbus (28-25-3), which retired Rick Nash's No. 61 in a ceremony before the game.
"The game was an exciting game, obviously," Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said. "This was a special night to honor Rick in his humility. He is more about his teammates and his coaches and the organization and the community. It was an hour-long [ceremony], but it didn't feel like an hour."

Craig Smith tied it 3-3 at 4:40 of the third period, converting a pass in front from Connor Clifton on the rush, and Bergeron made it 4-3 with a power-play goal at 14:58.
"We played our brand [of hockey]," Clifton said. "We played some great hockey. Five out of six on a road trip is really good."
DeBrusk gave Boston a 1-0 lead at 10:39 of the first period, deflecting Marchand's shot for his eighth goal in his past eight games.
Nyquist tied it 1-1 at 16:57, scoring short side from the bottom of the right circle.
Gavrikov put Columbus ahead 2-1 at 19:00 when he shot into an open net after Swayman swept a rebound to him. It was his first goal since Nov. 22 (38 games).
Erik Haula tied it 2-2 at 1:51 of the second period with a wrist shot from the right face-off dot that beat Merzlikins five-hole.
"There's a lot of growth with the team, coming from behind at times and also maintaining leads," said Swayman, who has won his past six starts. "It's been super fun to be a part of it on the trip."
Werenski gave Columbus a 3-2 lead at 14:28 with a power-play goal from the top of the right circle off a pass from Voracek.
"You look at the effort we had tonight, I love what we gave tonight," Larsen said. "We had to score late. We had to get one there. We didn't have much going on in the third. That's a veteran group over there. They don't give you many chances."

NOTES:Bruins forward Nick Foligno had an assist, two shots on goal, three hits and one blocked shot in 13:38 of ice time in his return to Columbus. The former Blue Jackets captain scored 334 points (142 goals, 192 assists) in 599 games before being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 11, 2021. He signed as a free agent with the Bruins on July 28. … Columbus forward Sean Kuraly had an assist, one shot on goal, one hit and one blocked shot in 19:08 of ice time in his first game against Boston since signing with the Blue Jackets on July 28, 2021. Kuraly played his first five seasons in the NHL for the Bruins. … Pastrnak has scored 12 points (seven goals, five assists) during an eight-game point streak. … Haula has scored eight points (three goals, five assists) during a six-game point streak. … Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine had two assists and has scored 26 points (15 goals, 11 assists) in his past 16 games. … Nationwide Arena set an attendance record (19,434).