Bruins top Wild, gain in Atlantic

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Brad Marchand scored 28 seconds into overtime to give the Boston Bruins a 2-1 win against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center on Sunday.
Marchand's wrist shot from the top of the left circle beat Wild goaltender Alex Stalock glove side. His five overtime goals this season are tied for the most in NHL history.

"It all has to go right. Guys have to make plays and you have to start with the puck a lot of times, which we were able to get it back tonight," Marchand said. "You need a lot of things to go right, but sometimes you benefit from plays, sometimes you don't. I think this year, I've been playing with a lot of guys who are making good plays and I'm benefitting from that."
WATCH: [All Bruins vs. Wild highlights]
David Pastrnak scored, and Tuukka Rask made 24 saves for the Bruins (47-17-10), who are 3-0-2 in their past five games and two points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for first place in the Atlantic Division with one game in hand.

Patrice Bergeron had two assists in his return after missing the past 13 games because of a broken foot.
"I felt good. It's always getting the legs and the timing and the execution back," Bergeron said. "I felt like it was getting better as the game went on. I started kind of one shift at a time and I felt better from one to another. It's a great feeling just to be around with the guys and be on the ice and to battle with them first and foremost. It's a lot of fun."
Mikko Koivu scored, and Stalock made 26 saves for the Wild (42-24-9), who are 6-2-2 in their past 10 games and lead the Colorado Avalanche by three points for third place in the Central Division.
Pastrnak scored on a one-timer from the slot to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead at 3:15 of the second period.
Koivu tied it 1-1 at 9:20 of the third, deflecting in a rebound from Matt Dumba's initial shot at the right post.

"We get three out of four points against two of the best teams in the league, and add L.A. into that mix, we've gone 3-0-2 in the last five. I think we're holding our own," Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said. "We're not getting anywhere fast, getting a point here and a point there, but I think we're going in the right direction."

Goal of the game

Marchand's goal 28 seconds into overtime

Save of the game

Rask's save on Ryan Murphy at 12:01 of the first period

Highlight of the game

Pastrnak's goal at 3:15 of the second period.

They said it

"Overtime specifically, especially this month, [Marchand's] sure come through for us, but he's an elite player so we expect him to get his looks every night because he's hard on the puck and a heck of a competitor, so it doesn't surprise me. Again, he was hard on it tonight and had a little bit of tough luck on the power play around the net with a couple chances to score, but their line was very good again tonight." -- Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy
"That's the only spot I shoot. Luckily that one went in. Sometimes they don't, but it's nice when they do." -- Bruins forward Brad Marchand
"Yeah. We have to, right? It's nice to know where we are and how many points we have. I'll wake up tomorrow and I'll check the standings again. It's going to be tight the rest of the way. We have to win games." -- Wild goalie Alex Stalock on watching the points race

Need to know

Marchand, who has 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists) in his past 12 games, tied Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos (2011-12), Chicago Blackhawks forward Jonathan Toews (2015-16), and Montreal Canadiens forward Alex Galchenyuk (2016-17) for the most overtime goals in a season. Marchand has a Bruins record 12 career regular-season overtime goals. … Noel Acciari played his 100th NHL game. … Pastrnak has 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) in his past 13 games. ... Minnesota has points in 21 of its past 23 home games (15-2-6).

What's next

Bruins: At the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; TSN3, NESN, NHL.TV)
Wild: At the Nashville Predators on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; FS-TN, FS-N, NHL.TV)