Bruins handle Flames, gain in Atlantic

BOSTON-- Patrice Bergeron scored twice in the third period to help the Boston Bruins defeat the Calgary Flames 5-2 at TD Garden on Tuesday.

The Bruins, who have won six of their past seven games, took a 3-2 lead when Bergeron scored during a power play at 1:15 of the third period. After he received a Torey Krug pass in stride, Bergeron got behind Calgary defenseman Mark Giordano and then beat goaltender David Rittich high to the glove side.
Bergeron scored again at 9:19 on a tip of a Brad Marchand shot for a 4-2 lead. The center has 27 goals this season, 17 in his past 19 games.
WATCH: [All Flames vs. Bruins highlights]
"I'm trying not to think about it, I'm trying just to go out there and play and stay focused and push myself to be better from one night to another," Bergeron said. "To be honest with you, I'm trying to stay focused and be in the moment."
Riley Nash scored twice, and Zdeno Chara scored an empty-net goal for Boston (35-12-8), which is 20-2-4 in its past 26 games and one point behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for first place in the Atlantic Division.

Sam Bennett and Johnny Gaudreau scored, and Rittich made 35 saves for Calgary (29-20-8), which lost for the second time in its past six games and remained in third place in the Pacific Division, one point ahead of the Los Angeles Kings.
Rittich started in place of Mike Smith, who will miss at least one more game with a lower-body injury.
"This was a game where your top guys had to come and play," Calgary coach Glen Gulutzan said. "I thought theirs were a little bit better than ours tonight. We needed to be better. I thought they were quicker most of the night, after the first."
Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask made 28 saves and is 18-1-2 in his past 21 starts.

"Everything they got, they earned, and I thought we did a better job of being sort of belligerent in the scoring area, getting to the goaltender for some second chances, some activity there," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. "And managing the puck, we got it behind their [defensemen] a lot better, forced some turnovers on the forecheck. So we played much more to our style of play, how we want to wear teams down and eventually get our looks."
Nash scored 28 seconds into the first period for a 1-0 lead. David Backes made a pass from below the goal line for a redirect past Rittich.
The Flames tied it 1-1 on Bennett's goal from the slot at 2:03. Matt Grzelcyk's outlet pass went off Garnet Hathaway to Bennett, who scored inside the left post.

Gaudreau put the Flames ahead 2-1 at 9:12. After Rask stopped Giordano's shot from the left point and Matt Stajan's shot on the rebound, he couldn't keep out Gaudreau's tuck-in from the left post.
Nash went to the net and scored at 16:20 of the second period to tie it 2-2 after a pass to the net by Tim Schaller.
Chara scored an empty-net goal at 16:14 of the third period for a 5-2 lead.

Goal of the game

Bergeron's goal at 1:15 of the third period.

Save of the game

Rask's save on Hathaway at 15:48 of the third period.

Highlight of the game

Bergeron's goal at 9:19 of the third period.

They said it

"Bergeron got those two [goals] in the third, those are big goals by him. He is who he is for a reason, he makes those things happen." -- Flames captain Mark Giordano
"Solid again. The first period I think we made a little adjustment where they were getting that shot D to D from the right point a little too much room. So we tried to put a little more pressure. Having said that, you want to chase the puck out of Gaudreau's hands as much as possible, so you've got to give up something not to let him beat you on the [power play]. Again, all year it's been good, and tonight was no exception. And were buzzing up the ice, too, on those shorties trying to put a little stress on them as well." -- Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy on Boston's penalty kill, which went 5-for-5

Need to know

Gaudreau has a seven-game point streak (four goals, six assists). ... Flames defenseman Michael Stone played 15:52 in his 400th NHL game. ... Nash's 10 goals tie his single-season NHL high set in 2013-14 with the Carolina Hurricanes.

What's next

Flames: At the Nashville Predators on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; FS-TN, SNW, NHL.TV)
Bruins: At the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday (10 p.m. ET; SN, SN360, NESN, NHL.TV)