Bergeron big help with 4 assists for Bruins
Huge production in a complementary role from Patrice Bergeron helped the Boston Bruins win three in a row for the first time this season.
"To be honest, the puck was just bouncing our way and the puck was going in," Bergeron said after getting four assists in a 4-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Monday night. "So we'll take it, but at the same time it's more about the win than anything else."
Milan Lucic got the go-ahead goal midway through the second period and Marco Sturm scored short-handed midway through the third for a two-goal cushion on Boston's 20th shot against Chris Mason.
Blake Wheeler and Mark Recchi also scored for the defending Northeast Division champions, who are 11-8-4. They had twice won consecutive games this season before beating St. Louis for only the third time in 18 meetings since 1996-97.
All three wins have come on the road, and Boston concludes a four-time trip on Wednesday at Minnesota.
Bergeron knew he fell one assist shy of his career best at Ottawa on Dec. 19, 2006. He almost got a goal in the third but was thwarted by Mason's spectacular glove save.
"From the beginning of the year he's been our best forward," coach Claude Julien said. "He shows up every night. What you saw tonight is what you get every night."
Defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo had a goal and an assist, and Keith Tkachuk scored on a deflection for the Blues, who failed in an attempt for their first three-game winning streak. St. Louis had won consecutive games for the first time since taking a pair from the Red Wings in Sweden to open the season.
"Some of our guys who we need to finish, again didn't get it done for us," coach Andy Murray said. "My understanding of our team is you expect these guys who you count on to get the job done. I keep expecting that."
Mason's giveaway, an ill-advised backhanded clearing attempt to the boards, led to Sturm's clinching goal.
"Dumb. Just a bad play in general and it ends up in the net," Mason said. "It cost us any chance of tying it."
Boston has points in eight of its last nine games and got a strong game from backup goalie Tuukka Rask, who made his third start in place of Tim Thomas (lower-body injury). Marc Savard returned after missing 15 games with a broken left foot and had no shots.
Rask was at his best in the first period when the Blues took 16 of their 31 shots.
"When your team is not fully awake, you try and keep them in it," Rask said. "In the second and third we really picked up our game."
Boston had three one-goal leads before Sturm's short-handed goal.
NOTES: Tkachuk, a native of Melrose, Mass., has 33 points (15 goals, 18 assists) in 26 career games against Boston. He also scored his 200th goal with St. Louis. ... David Backes has a 16-game goal drought and Paul Kariya's is at 14 for the Blues. ... The Bruins are 3-13-2 against the Blues since 1996-97. ... The Blues have had eight sellouts in 14 home games.
