![\"Boston](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/bruinsms011.jpg\")
Boston Bruins goaltender Joonas Korpisalo blocks a shot during the second period of a 4-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. (Photo By Matt Stone\/Boston Herald).<\/p>\nThe Bruins\u2019 return to action was not a work of art, but it delivered them the two points they needed to start the final stretch run.<\/p>\n
With the Columbus Blue Jackets breathing down their necks in the Eastern Conference standings, the B\u2019s gutted out a 4-2 victory over the Jackets at the Garden on Thursday.<\/p>\n
A couple of former Blue Jackets figured prominently in the win. Joonas Korpisalo was by far Boston\u2019s best player, making 36 saves for the victory, while Sean Kuraly\u2019s third-period goal held up as the game-winner.<\/p>\n
The win pushed the B\u2019s lead over Columbus to six points. The Washington Capitals are now the closest team chasing the B\u2019s, in points, anyway. They are four points behind the B\u2019s, who have two games in hand on the Caps.<\/p>\n
Had Korpisalo been a hair off his game, the standings would have been much tighter this morning. Currently\u00a0 holders of the second wild card, the B\u2019s are one point behind the Sabres for the first wild card.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Korpisalo) made a couple of game-changing saves, the one on (Zach) Werenski late in the third and a few others. He was crucial to us winning this game. If he didn\u2019t play like he did, it could have been a different story,\u201d said Kuraly.<\/p>\n
The B\u2019s also got two goals from Viktor Arvidsson, a deflected goal in the first period to tie the game and the relief-inducing empty netter to finally take the weight off Korpisal\u2019s shoulders. That gave the 32-year-old Arvidsson 16 goals for the year. He had 15 in 67 games with Edmonton last year. Beyond the scoring, he\u2019s playing on the team\u2019s best defensive line with Pavel Zacha and Casey Mittelstadt. Arvidsson is a UFA-to-be but it doesn\u2019t sound like he\u2019s going anywhere by next Friday\u2019s trade deadline, at least if coach Marco Sturm has his way.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was not healthy (in Edmonton last year),\u201d said Sturm. \u201cThis is the Arvy, why we like him and that\u2019s why I wanted to get him this summer.\u201d<\/p>\n
With many of the players coming off a three-week break, and the others switching gears from the Olympics, it was anyone\u2019s guess what the hockey would look like on Thursday.<\/p>\n
In the first period, that strange brew heavily favored the Blue Jackets. But Korpisalo, who got the start over USA gold medalist Jeremy Swayman (in civvies for the night), was spectacular and the B\u2019s were able to get to the break tied 1-1. The Jackets held a 20-10 shot advantage in the first and almost half of those shots were high-danger chances.<\/p>\n
Columbus took the first lead of the game at 4:28. Mason Marchment sent a long stretch pass up the middle for Kirill Marchenko. Charlie McAvoy was there at center ice to pick it off, but the puck bounced off his stick blade and continued on its intended trajectory to Marchenko, who beat Korpisalo on a clean breakaway.<\/p>\n
The Jackets had chances to break the game open but Korpisalo kept the B\u2019s in it. His best save came on a 2-on-1 when he went post-to-post to thwart Adam Fantilli.<\/p>\n
The B\u2019s earned a good break to tie it up at 15:51. Jonathan Aspirot made a nice play in the neutral zone to step up and pick off a Columbus breakout pass. He rimmed it around to Viktor Arvidsson and, with Casey Mittelstadt in the slot, Arvidsson sent it his way. It didn\u2019t get to Mittelstadt but it hit off Isac Lundestrom\u2019s stick and went past Elvis Merzlikins for Arvidsson\u2019s 15th of the year.<\/p>\n
Both teams had one power play apiece in the first, both of which were unsuccessful.<\/p>\n
The B\u2019s took the lead on their second power play at 6:54 of the second, but it came at a cost. Miles Wood ran into Korpisalo and was called for goalie interference. Korpisalo was shaken up but initially stayed in net. After the TV timeout, however, he was pulled by the concussion spotter.<\/p>\n
\u201cA little bit (surprised). It never happened before \u2026 but it was a pretty big bump, so I could understand,\u201d said Korpisalo.<\/p>\n
Boston Bruins goaltender Joonas Korpisalo blocks a shot during the second period of a 4-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. (Photo By Matt Stone\/Boston Herald).<\/p>\n
With Swayman out, that meant Michael DiPietro was thrust into action.<\/p>\n
The B\u2019s would quickly give DiPietro a lead. Morgan Geekie beat Merzlikins with a short side blast off a David Pastrnak feed. It was Geekie\u2019s 33rd of the year, tying his career best he set last season.<\/p>\n
After DiPietro made two saves, Korpisalo returned to the game at 12:16. Did he have a feeling Korpisalo would be able to go back in?<\/p>\n
\u201cHe better have,\u201d said DiPietro with a laugh. \u201cIt didn\u2019t really look that bad. He seemed fine skating off and I was glad it was quick. He played a fantastic game. I was happy I didn\u2019t screw it up for the boys.\u201d<\/p>\n
The B\u2019s stretched it to 3-1 at 11:15 of the third period.<\/p>\n
They were gifted a power play midway through the period when Marchment made a good stick check on Fraser Minten but was called for a penalty. The B\u2019s could not cash in on the advantage, but they doubled their lead quickly after Marchment left the box.<\/p>\n
Kuraly was chasing down a loose puck in the neutral zone when defenseman Damon Severson stumbled, giving Kuraly a step. From the left circle, Kuraly beat his old teammate with a slapper, his fifth goal of the year.<\/p>\n
![\"Boston](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/bruinsms020.jpg\")
Boston Bruins left wing Viktor Arvidsson celebrates his open net goal with center Casey Mittelstadt (11) during the third period. (Photo By Matt Stone\/Boston Herald)<\/p>\n
But the Jackets would not go away. They cut the lead in half at 13:45 when Fantilli, who hit the post at the start of the third, was allowed to drift into the high slot and he beat Korpisalo with a well-placed wrist shot off the post.<\/p>\n
Werenski then had a chance for the equalizer from the left side but Korpisalo flashed his pad to deny the Olympian.<\/p>\n
The Jackets pulled Merzlikins and the B\u2019s barely held on. Pastrnak iced the puck a couple of times going for the empty netter.<\/p>\n
But with 33 seconds remaining, Arvidsson finally scored the empty netter to seal it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Bruins\u2019 return to action was not a work of art, but it delivered them the two points…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":474598,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5108],"tags":[3644,5180,95,530,897,230,5179,5,4261,40,4,43],"class_list":{"0":"post-474597","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-columbus-blue-jackets","8":"tag-blue-jackets","9":"tag-bluejackets","10":"tag-boston-bruins","11":"tag-bruins","12":"tag-columbus","13":"tag-columbus-blue-jackets","14":"tag-columbusbluejackets","15":"tag-hockey","16":"tag-morgan-geekie","17":"tag-news","18":"tag-nhl","19":"tag-sports"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116141353076885627","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474597","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=474597"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/474597\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/474598"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=474597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=474597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=474597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}