Boston
Patrice Bergeron scored twice, Brad Marchand got his team-leading 39th goal and Noel Acciari also scored for the Bruins, who remained one point behind Toronto for third in the Atlantic Division. after the Maple Leafs defeated the Red Wings, 5-4, later Saturday.
Boston entered the day with a three-point lead over Tampa Bay for the Eastern Conference’s last wild-card spot.
Jaromir Jagr recorded his 765th career goal and Thomas Vanek also scored for the Panthers, who lost for the 11th time in 15 games and were eliminated from playoff contention earlier last week.
Krejci capitalized on the gaffe by Berra, moving Boston ahead 3-2 with 5:30 left in the second period.
The goalie came far out of the crease, but his clearing pass from the right circle caromed off the boards directly to Krejci, who fired the puck into the empty net.
Tuukka Rask, coming off a career-tying seventh shutout this season in his last start, stopped 24 shots.
Marchand sealed it with a power-play score in the final two minutes. Bergeron added an empty-netter.
The Bruins had moved ahead 2-1 on Bergeron’s reviewed goal midway into the second. The center scored off the rebound of Zdeno Chara’s one-timer while Marchand was inside the crease.
The goal stood even though it appeared Berra couldn’t get across the crease on the shot with Marchand there.
Florida tied it 2-all on Jagr’s goal. The 45-year-old forward beat Rask over his glove with a wrist shot from the slot.
Acciari stole the puck from defenseman Jakub Kindl, broke in while he was being hooked by Kindl for a delayed penalty and took a wrister that slipped into the net off Berra to make it 1-0.
Florida tied it early into the second when Nick Bjugstad’s shot from the point caromed in off the leg of Vanek.
Notes: Cassidy said backup Anton Khudobin would start today … … Interesting hit: Forty-year-old Chara kocked down Jagr. … Panthers forward Shawn Thornton, a member of Boston’s 2011 Cup winning team, played his last game in TD Garden. He’s retiring after the season and has a job waiting for him in Florida’s front office. He was given the game’s third star. “That’s probably the closest I’ve been to chocking up in a bit,” he said of an ovation after the game. “I appreciate that.”
Maple Leafs 5, Red Wings 4
Detroit
Matthews’ second goal of the night at 18:51 of the third period gave Toronto a 5-3 lead, but proved to be the winner when Detroit’s Mike Green tallied with 44.2 seconds left in regulation.
With two goals and an assist, Matthews tied Peter Ihnacak’s Leafs rookie points record of 66, set in 1982-83.
Canadiens 2, Lightning 1 (ot)
Tampa, Fla.
Predators 3, Wild 0
Nashville, Tenn.
Stars 3, Hurricanes 0
Raleigh, n.c.
John Klingberg and Devin Shore added empty-netters and Lehtonen stopped 25 shots in his second shutout in six starts to help the Stars snap a two-game losing streak.
Flyers 3, Devils 0
Philadelphia
Neuvirth left the game after collapsing in his crease 7½ minutes into the game. He was carted off the ice on a stretch and later taken to Pennsylvania Hospital, where he was “awake and alert,” according to Flyers general manager Ron Hextall.
Neuvirth stopped all six shots he faced.
Brayden Schenn, Colin McDonald and Jordan Weal scored for the Flyers, who won their fourth straight game to remain in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt. Philadelphia remained six points behind Boston for the second wild card playoff spot in the East with four games remaining for each team.