Here are my talking points from the Bruins' 4-3 overtime win over the Hurricanes . . .
GOLD STAR: David Krejci scored the overtime game-winner and had another strong game in what's increasingly become a very good season for the Black and Gold. Krejci was the player that originally pushed the puck into the offensive zone before Jake DeBrusk followed him and pressured Justin Faulk into the overtime turnover. Then it was Krejci that cut to the net and finished off the spinning DeBrusk pass for the OT game-winning goal and his 16th score of the season. Krejci finished the night with a goal and two points and a plus-1 rating in 17:29 of ice time along with five shot attempts, two hits, a takeaway and 10-of-19 face-off wins.
🏒BRUINS 4, HURRICANES 3 (OT)
BLACK EYE: It was Marcus Johansson, who was done for the night after exactly one shift and less than one minute of ice time. Johansson was drilled against the side boards after a massive hit by Michael Ferland that was just clean shoulder-to-shoulder impact. Johansson was down on the ice for a few minutes and eventually skated back to the dressing room hunched over and in obvious pain. The Bruins winger was taken to the hospital from TD Garden, but Bruce Cassidy indicated to reporters that the news might end up being "encouraging" rather than the customary bad news. If Johansson were out for any length of time it would push the Bruins back to the lessened scoring depth they struggled with at times prior to the trade deadline.
TURNING POINT: The Bruins fell down by a 2-0 score in the second period and could have easily decided it was going to be their night amidst a long point streak. But instead, they buckled down, outshooting the Hurricanes by a 15-10 margin and scored a pair of goals in order to tie up the game and get back into things. It certainly wasn't perfect for the B's at any point during a gritty, playoff-style game against a hungry Hurricanes group, but the second period was when they started to get their legs under them after an opening period where Carolina seemed to dictate terms.
HONORABLE MENTION: Fourth-line winger Chris Wagner really sparked the team early by answering Carolina's physicality with some hard hits of his own. Then he energized the offense in the second period too when he shoveled home the rebound of a Brandon Carlo point shot to get the Bruins on the board, and start the comeback that eventually settled in an OT win. Wagner finished with the goal, his 10th of the season, as well as four shots on net, two hits and two blocked shots in an eventful 16:44 of ice time. It took Wagner a little while to get going before his entire game was fully up to form this season, but he really is an engine starting to drive the B's fourth line right now.
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BY THE NUMBERS: 8 – the number of goals for Jake DeBrusk in his last 10 games as he continues to generate big time offense for the Bruins.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "We really battled back. I thought we were clearly the better team and earned the right to get back in the game, and then it's anybody's game. It was a bit of our "B" game and then a bit of our "A" game in spurts, and it was enough in the end against a good team." –Bruce Cassidy, on a Bruins team that battled back for an OT win after not having a good start to the game.
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