3 Stars: Back home, Bruins find right recipe vs. Flames

Big picture-wise, the Bruins felt good about their five-game road trip.

But they couldn't help but feel like Tuesday in Seattle was a wasted opportunity.

Bruins center Sean Kuraly outright said that they threw two points away in that loss. And, honestly, it's hard to disagree with that notion. Sure, the Kraken put a seven spot on the board against the Bruins. But it felt like almost every single goal the Kraken scored in that contest was one that the B's gifted them. After the loss, Bruins head coach Marco Sturm called the Black and Gold's game "immature."

It was about as down as a team could be on what was a .500 road trip. And it made Thursday's home return against the Flames all the more interesting for the Bruins. That first game home always looms as a potential letdown game. Always has, and that's not something that's unique to the Bruins, especially after a long flight back home.

But perhaps driven by their own anger from what they were unable to do on Tuesday, the Bruins outright refused to let it be one. In fact, it was one of the B's most spirited outings in recent weeks, with the Bruins on the attack from the get-go.

"We know the recipe going forward," Kuraly said.

Here's a look at the 985TheSportsHub.com 3 Stars of the game...

Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy, who is still wearing the protective bubble as he recovers from a broken jaw, took a beating in this one. But despite being hit with injury scares in both the first and second period of this contest, McAvoy kept on coming, and put together a damn solid game as Boston's leader on the backend.

Deployed for a team-leading 24:01 (a nearly four-minute lead over second-place Nikita Zadorov and his 20:30), McAvoy finished this contest with an assist on Boston's first goal of the evening, and added four blocks in the victory. McAvoy's most important block came in the third period, too, as he denied the Flames a look at an open cage.

McAvoy also pushed the pace like you want at the other end of the rink, as the Bruins had 29 shot attempts with No. 73 on the ice at five-on-five play, and generated eight high-danger scoring chances while surrendering just one in their own zone.

With the club currently without Hampus Lindholm once again, the Bruins are going to need this version of McAvoy to continue to give them everything he's got.

If we are being honest, Bruins backup netminder Joonas Korpisalo did not deserve to sit for the final four games of Boston's recent five-game road trip. He was probably the only reason that the Bruins didn't lose by six out in Buffalo back on Dec. 27, really.

And with a 12-day break to his name, the question as to whether or not it'd be rest or rust for Korpisalo was answered pretty quickly, as he was downright dialed in for the Bruins in this contest. Hit with 29 shots, Korpisalo stopped all but one in the win, and posted his best single-game save percentage of the season in the victory (.966).

After the game, the 31-year-old Korpisalo kept it relatively short when discussing his situation and what he did to stay prepared during his latest extended absence from the crease. Every answer seemed to come back to the same thing: He was just happy to be back in net and playing a game. Sturm, meanwhile, gave Korpisalo credit for battling and giving the team a chance to win despite the unfavorable conditions of this start.

It's stating the absolute obvious, I know, but the Bruins are going to need to lean on Korpisalo more down the stretch here. There's truly no reason for Jeremy Swayman to be making four straight starts before the Olympic break, and if he is, then there's really no point in spending a combined $11.25 million at the goalie position.

The Bruins needed a good tone-setting night from their fourth line, and Sean Kuraly helped deliver that, as he scored the first goal of the game in this one.

In addition to the goal, Kuraly also had the primary helper on Mason Lohrei's tally in the second period, and finished for the team lead in hits (four) by the night's end.

A high-motor player by nature, Kuraly left his imprint all over the ice in this one. Especially with the Bruins down a man in the third period, as Kuraly dished a great feed to Mark Kastelic on a near shorthanded goal, and gave Zadorov his stick to help get the Bruins out of danger during a successful penalty kill.