Sean Kuraly scored and set up two others, leading the Boston Bruins to a 3-2 win over the host Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday night.
Boston (44-27-10, 98 points) clinched an Eastern Conference wild-card berth on Saturday. The first wild-card seed is still within reach with the Bruins battling the Senators for seeding.
Henri Jokiharju and Mark Kastelic added a goal and a helper each for Boston, which swept the three-game season series against Columbus and snapped a five-game skid overall (0-3-2).
Joonas Korpisalo made 35 saves in the win.
Mason Marchment and Adam Fantilli responded for the Blue Jackets (40-29-12, 92 points). With the loss, Columbus’ chances at the third seed in the Metropolitan Division took a substantial blow.
Jet Greaves stopped 19 shots.
Kastelic scored the eventual game-winner at 10:22 of the third, putting his shot from a bad angle far-side past Greaves for his 10th of the season.
Fantilli tied it 2-2, on a breakaway, snapping a shot glove side past Korpisalo for his 24th at 1:27 of the third.
Boston took a 2-1 lead with just 19 seconds remaining in the middle frame as Jokiharju snapped a Kuraly feed short-side past a screened Greaves for his second of the season.
With the secondary assist, James Hagens (19 years, 160 days) scored a point in his NHL debut.
Marchment opened the scoring at 3:59, redirecting a Dante Fabbro point shot at the side of the net past Korpisalo for his 19th of the season.
Boston responded at 10:31 on their first shot of the game as Mark Kastelic’s tip of Henri Jokiharju’s point shot went off the skate of Kuraly and in for his sixth of the season.
Sunday was the third and final meeting of the season between the Blue Jackets and Bruins.
Boston doubled up Columbus 4-2 on Feb. 26 before squeezing out a 4-3 shootout victory on March 29.
–Field Level Media
