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Blue Jackets take down Bruins with 2nd-period burst

Dec 28, 2014 - 4:59 AM Columbus, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Scott Hartnell tallied twice in his return from injury, while Kevin Connauton added a goal and two assists, as Columbus used a strong second period to claim a 6-2 victory over Boston at Nationwide Arena.

Nick Foligno, Matt Calvert and Jeremy Morin also lit the lamp for the Blue Jackets, who improved to 9-1-1 in the month of December.

Jack Johnson and Brandon Dubinsky each chipped in a pair of helpers to back a 26-save effort from Curtis McElhinney.

"He made some big saves...especially at the start of the third period," Calvert said of McElhinney.

Patrice Bergeron and Craig Cunningham scored for the Bruins, who had taken three of their last four coming in. Niklas Svedberg and Tuukka Rask both allowed three goals on 15 shots.

The hosts moved up 2-1 as Hartnell's deflection of a Ryan Johansen point offering slid through the traffic in the crease and in just 51 seconds into the second period.

Tempers flared just short of the three-minute mark as Dalton Prout and Milan Lucic engaged in a spirited fight, and it spurred the Jackets, who took a 3-1 lead at 6:32 on a Connauton strike.

Foligno pushed the advantage to three on a power play just short of the midway point of regulation, and though Cunningham responded for Boston at 16:28, the hosts hit intermission back up by three following Calvert's marker with 51 seconds left.

Columbus assumed a 6-2 advantage with 7:35 played in the third after Morin picked up a loose puck on the left wing, skated back to the circle and scored with a high wrister.

"It's hard to find words after a game like this," Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara said. "We started putting some (wins) together and climbing the standings, and now here we go again."

Hartnell put the hosts on the board when he chopped a backhander off a Connauton rebound from the right side through Svedberg's pads at 8:11.

The Bruins responded 20 seconds later on Bergeron's wrister from the left side.

Game Notes

Hartnell came back after a five-game absence due to a broken finger and picked up his third multi-goal effort of the season and first since Nov. 8 against Tampa Bay ... Johansen finished 20-of-27 from the faceoff circle ... Sergei Bobrovsky carried a lifetime 0-2-2 record vs. Boston, but was scratched with a stomach illness ... The Bruins begin a three-game homestand against Detroit on Monday ... The Blue Jackets are off until New Year's Eve when they host Minnesota.