Bruins zap Devs one more time

After blowing a couple of late leads, the Bruins got back to playing the right way with the game on the line. They got stingy on defense, turned to old reliable David Pastrnak for offense, and got a little help from a few of unexpected sources — defensemen Matt Grzekcyk and Connor Clifton.

Pastrnak and Grzelcyk scored two goals apiece, and Brad Marchand added three assists to lead the Bruins over the Devils, 5-1, on Tuesday night in Newark.

Tuukka Rask notched 25 saves and the Bruins scored three times in the third period to break open a one-goal game and beat the Devils for the eighth time in nine meetings.

The win was only Boston’s second in the last seven games (2-2-3) that included some ugly defeats. In recent shootout losses, the Bruins blew a fourgoal lead in the final 20 minutes against Florida and allowed a last-minute goal to Washington.

“I thought we played fairly stingy and tonight we had a chance to extend the lead on the power play, we simplified, got it to the net and took advantage of our opportunities,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “I thought we did a good job of limiting them.”

Blake Coleman scored for the Devils, who were looking for their first three-game winning streak since December 2018. Mackenzie Blackwood made 23 saves in starting for the 12th time in 14 games.

“We weren’t hungry enough. We were flat. No excuse,” Coleman said. “We talked ad nauseam how important this game was and we wanted to get some traction as a team. There is no excuse to lay that egg.”