Panthers 0 - 3 Bruins
Final
  for this game

Bruins blank Panthers for share of Northeast lead

Apr 21, 2013 - 11:31 PM Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Tuukka Rask made 28 saves for his fourth shutout of the season, as the Boston Bruins stopped a season-high four-game slide with a 3-0 win over the Florida Panthers at TD Garden.

Jaromir Jagr, Dougie Hamilton and Brad Marchand scored for the Bruins, who were coming off a 3-2 loss on Saturday against Pittsburgh and won for the first time since a 5-4 triumph over New Jersey on April 10.

Boston moved into a tie with idle Montreal for first place in the Northeast Division. Both teams have 59 points and the Bruins still have a game in hand with four to play.

After the game, the Bruins gave their game-worn sweaters to first responders and other law enforcement personnel from this week's tragic events in the city.

"(The) postgame was really special," said Bruins defenseman Andrew Ference. "More positive feelings for everybody and today I think was another step."

Jacob Markstrom stopped 36 shots in defeat. The NHL-worst Panthers have lost six in a row.

Jagr gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead just over three minutes into the contest. He emerged from the right boards with the puck and skated to the inside edge of the right circle before snapping a wrister over Markstrom's glove for his 16th goal this season.

The Bruins dominated the second period with 21 shots, but managed to beat Markstrom only once on Hamilton's fifth of the year. He ripped a shot from the right point past the screened netminder with 6:27 left in the period.

Rask turned aside 10 shots in each of the first two periods, then made eight saves in the third to complete his 15th career whitewash.

"He played extremely well and it says a lot about his character," Bruins coach Claude Julien said about Rask, who believed he cost his team the game against the Penguins on Saturday.

The Bruins sealed it with 1:22 remaining when Marchand found the empty net.

Game Notes

Boston's four-game skid was its worst since a four-game losing streak from March 10-15, 2012 ... The Bruins won all three meetings with Florida this season, outscoring the Panthers, 11-2 ... The Panthers were blanked for the sixth time this season ... Boston improved to 13-2-1 when leading after the first period.






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