Joe McDonald, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Takeaways: Bruins 4, Blue Jackets 3 (SO)

The Boston Bruins erased a two-goal, third-period deficit en route to a 4-3 shootout victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night at Nationwide Arena.

Bruins rookie Alexander Khokhlachev scored the game-winning goal in Round 7 of the shootout in his first game with the Bruins this season, and only the second of his NHL career. Boston has now won eight of its past 10 games.

With the Blue Jackets in the rearview mirror, the Bruins quickly shift their focus to the Montreal Canadiens. Boston hosts its heated rival Saturday night at TD Garden. The Canadiens already enjoy a 2-0 advantage over the Bruins this season.

SIDELINED: The Bruins were without the services of top-line center David Krejci, who has been dealing with an ongoing, undisclosed injury this season. He made the trip to Columbus and participated in the morning skate, but was a game-time scratch. Knowing Krejci's status was questionable, the Bruins had called up Khokhlachev from Providence of the AHL on Thursday. He was thrust into the lineup and delivered the clutch shootout goal.

MASKED MEN: Bruins coach Claude Julien decided to give backup goaltender Niklas Svedberg the start against the Blue Jackets. After allowing two tough goals in the first period, Svedberg responded and was solid the rest of the way, finishing with 25 saves. He was a perfect 7-for-7 in the shootout. With the Bruins hosting the Canadiens on Saturday, Tuukka Rask will likely get the nod. He has a career 3-11-3 record against Montreal and served as the backup last week as the Canadiens defeated Boston 5-1 at Bell Centre. Maybe Rask can find some luck playing at home against the Canadiens.

GROOVING: Despite a pair of penalties against the Blue Jackets, Bruins defenseman Matt Bartkowski continues to find his groove. He's been a healthy scratch for the majority of the season, and when he did play early on, he struggled. Due to so many injuries on Boston's blue line, Julien has no choice but to play Bartkowski, and to his credit, he has responded the past two games. He played probably the best game of his career Tuesday against the St. Louis Blues, and he followed that performance up with a pair of assists Friday against Columbus.

RUSTY: Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller returned to the lineup Friday night after missing 13 games with a dislocated shoulder. Since fellow defenseman Adam McQuaid suffered a broken right thumb Tuesday against the Blues and will miss six to eight weeks, Miller's presence is welcomed. He logged 20:10 of ice time against the Blue Jackets, though he'll no doubt need a little more action moving forward to find his timing.

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