The Bruins popped in a pair of second-period goals Tuesday night at TD Garden and that was the backing they needed on their way to a convincing 3-0 win over the Wild.
Charlie McAvoy and Trent Frederic scored. Jeremy Swayman turned back 35 shots for the shutout (career No. 15). Morgan Geekie wired in a long-distance wrister for an empty-netter in the final seconds for the final spread.
Tidy. Stout. Smart. Overall, 2 very important points, given that it appears the Bruins will be in a rugby-like scrum with a handful of teams across the final third of the NHL’s regular season in hopes of salvaging a playoff berth.
But what made Game No. 55 of the season noticeably different was how the Bruins' offensive teapot finally began steaming and whistling in stretches, particularly in that second period. Too often disconnected and without rhythm, pace, and purpose on offense this season, they were passing and shooting with some confidence and conviction. They rolled up 28 shots (of a total 35) in the first and second periods, completed passes, found shooting lanes, and repeatedly put pressure on goaltending sage Marc-Andre Fleury.
“I liked our game. We did a good job building our game offensively,” noted interim coach Joe Sacco, his club 19-13-3 since he took over in November. “Especially in the second period … we did a good job activating our defensemen at exactly the right time. They were getting involved down the walls. We were getting good support from our forwards. I liked a lot about our offensive game.”
McAvoy again provided a 1-0 lead after also opening the scoring in Saturday’s win over the Rangers. With David Pastrnak circling up high and eventually unloading a 45-foot wrister, McAvoy made the deflection from low in the slot and the puck was behind Marc-Andre Fleury (32 saves) with 5:46 gone in the second period.
It marked the first time since the season’s opening two contests that McAvoy scored in back-to-back games.
The goal also extended Pastrnak’s point production streak to 11 games. It has been by far the elite Czech winger’s best stretch of the season, with 10 goals and 14 assists.
At 14:14 of the second, Frederic boosted the lead when he finished off a 3-on-2 break with a snap wrister from inside the left wing circle, his shot zipping under the crossbar and popping right out of the net. It momentarily appeared the game action would roll on with the goal not counting, but the near referee emphatically pointed toward the net and the 2-0 lead was on the board.
“I think guys got confidence from the last game,” said Frederic. “That’s a good team we just played against, and I think when you’re playing against a good team, and you’re feeling good, you see a lot of guys making plays. It’s nice.”
A bugaboo for the Bruins this season, especially of late, has been giving up a goal soon after they have scored one. Only 1:10 after Frederic’s strike, local boy Matt Boldy (of the Millis Boldys), stepped into a one-timer that looked like a sure goal.
Swayman came up with the “needed” save, spearing it with his left glove in true “a la Fleury” style.
“No doubt, that was a shift we were caught in our zone for a little while,” said Sacco, underscoring the timeliness and importance of Swayman’s stop. “We did a decent job of keeping most of it to the outside, but they did end up with the one quick one there in the slot — and, obviously, that changes the game for us. We were able to keep that lead.”
The Bruins carried the two-goal lead into the second intermission, three days after building a 4-1 margin over the Rangers through 40:00. It’s only the second time this season the Bruins held a multiple-goal lead after two periods of back-to-back games.
Swayman’s stop on Boldy “definitely” provided an added sense of relief, noted Brandon Carlo.
“A pretty amazing save there,” said Carlo. “In those situations, it’s all about carrying momentum throughout the game, and we’ve needed to do a better job of that. If you get scored on right away, it sort of gives them juice. We are trying to eliminate that aspect and continue to grow in our game that way.”
The Bruins hustled to Hanscom Field postgame for their charter flight to New York, where they’ll have a Wednesday night rematch with the Rangers. There’s a fair chance Swayman will be back in net. If so, it will be the first time in seven back-to-back matchups that the Bruins will have used the same goalie for both games.
It’s getting late. Big stops are needed, along with the wins that often come with them.
Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at kevin.dupont@globe.com.