Bruins defeat Blue Jackets in OT, move into third in Atlantic

COLUMBUS -- Jake DeBrusk scored his second goal at 1:03 of overtime to give the Boston Bruins a 3-2 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Monday.

After Columbus failed to clear the puck out of its zone, DeBrusk took a pass from Hampus Lindholm and shot blocker side on Elvis Merzlikins from low in the right circle.
"It wasn't out best. Give Columbus credit," DeBrusk said. "They were pushing pretty much all night and taking it to us in the neutral zone. It's one of those things where good teams find ways to win."
Craig Smith scored, Charlie McAvoy had two assists, and Linus Ullmark made 20 saves for the Bruins (44-20-5), who also defeated the Blue Jackets 5-2 on Saturday and have won seven of eight.
Boston moved into a tie with the Tampa Bay Lightning for third in the Atlantic Division.

Emil Bemstrom and Zach Werenski scored, Jakub Voracek had two assists, and Merzlikins made 34 saves for the Blue Jackets (32-32-6), who have lost seven in a row (0-4-3).
"It's not like we're playing poorly. We're in every game," Columbus coach Brad Larsen said. "I feel bad for the guys,"
Bemstrom gave Columbus a 1-0 lead at 4:31 of the first period. He gathered the puck in the neutral zone and split Matt Grzelcyk and Brandon Carlo before shooting short side over Ullmark's glove from the right circle.
DeBrusk tied it 1-1 on a breakaway at 18:32.
"That's a point of emphasis, high production, especially with the situation I'm in right now," said DeBrusk, who has scored six goals in a five-game goal streak. "It's nice to bury some opportunities. I've got some lucky bounces in the stretch."

Smith put the Bruins ahead 2-1 at 7:52 of the second period, scoring from above the circles with a shot through traffic and the right arm of Merzlikins.
Werenski tied it 2-2 at 19:44 of the second with a one-timer off a saucer pass from behind the net by Voracek.
Werenski credited defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov, who leapt to keep the puck in at the blue line, for making the play happen.
"[David Pastrnak is] on a breakaway the other way, so a great play by [Gavrikov]," Werenski said. "Then [Patrik] Laine down to [Voracek]. Obviously, when Jake gets open ice, he's an unbelievable passer and he's going to find you.
"It was a perfect saucer pass through the crease and landed right in my wheelhouse. I just tried to hit the net. He made it easy for me."

Boston coach Bruce Cassidy challenged the play for a missed game stoppage, but the call was confirmed after a video review.
"We left the zone early and we didn't get the puck out and couldn't change on the way out, so our wingers are tired," Cassidy said. "Werenski gets behind everybody. We're out of position and we don't recover."
NOTES:Pastrnak left the game in the third period with an undisclosed injury. Bruins forward Trent Frederic left the game in the second period with an upper-body injury. There was no update postgame on either player. … McAvoy has nine assists in his past five games. … Blue Jackets forward Carson Meyer was minus-1 and took a minor penalty in 3:16 of ice time in his NHL debut. Meyer, who is from the Columbus suburb of Powell, played for the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets before competing collegiately at Miami University (Ohio) and Ohio State. … Werenski returned after missing three games with a concussion, and Larsen returned after missing three games while in NHL COVID-19 protocol. … The Blue Jackets completed the second of three consecutive home-and-home series. They also lost twice to the New York Islanders and will play the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday and Thursday.