Steve Kasper scored a goal and assisted on another and goalie Reggie Lemelin sparkled with 38 saves, as the Boston Bruins defeated the New Jersey Devils 4-1.
The win snapped a two-game losing streak for the Bruins and moved them back into first place in the Adams Division with 75 points, one more than the Canadiens. Boston has one game in hand.
Lemelin, entered the game with the second-best goals-against average in the NHL at 2.92. New Jersey outshot the Bruins in the first eight minutes, but Lemelin kept them in the game, stopping Doug Sulliman in close, making a skate save on Bruce Driver with Boston a man short, and then stopping slapshots by Andy Brickley and Aaron Broten.
The Bruins offense finally got started by Steve Kasper, who checked Brickley off the puck in the Bruins end. He fed the puck to Randy Burridge to start a 2-on-1 break, then swatted a return pass past Devils goalie Bob Sauvé with 1:19 to go in the first period.
Ray Bourque, Reed Larson and Ken Linseman (empty net), also scored for the Bruins.
Randy Velischek prevented Lemelin's from achieving a league-leading fourth shutout with his third goal of the season, a slap shot from the blue line in the third period.