And just like that, the Bruins have officially canceled out their first three-game losing streak in a year and a half.

Of course, ‘just like that’ may be selling the Bruins a tad short given the highs and lows of the last week and change.

Back in Boston — and slumping, and slumping hard — this time last week, the Bruins got a ‘get right’ visit from the Sharks last Thursday, rode the emotional rollercoaster of a head-to-head with the Maple Leafs last Saturday in Toronto without barfing, and carried that into a late-game comeback over the Blue Jackets at TD Garden on Sunday night.

Three wins in four days? Well, that’s never easy no matter how you slice it, and it was more than enough for Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery to give his team a day off on Monday.

• Here are the 98.5 The Sports Hub (dot com) 3 Stars from a win over the Blue Jackets…

• No. 3 Star: Charlie McAvoy

  

  Nov 30, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy (73) controls the puck during the second period against the San Jose Sharks at TD Garden. (Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports)

• On the ice for a team-high 24:30 of time on ice, Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy finished this contest with a pair of helpers and four shots on goal for the Black and Gold.

  Skating in the 400th game of his NHL career, the performance was good for the 25-year-old McAvoy’s first multi-point effort since Nov. 14 against the Sabres, and brought him up to 17 points through 20 games this season. It also continued what’s been a rather interesting trend for the B’s defender, who has straight-up torched the Blue Jackets in his career, with 13 points in 14 career head-to-heads with Columbus.

• No. 2 Star: Jeremy Swayman

  

  Dec 3, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) during the second period against the Columbus Blue Jackets at TD Garden. (Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports)

• Less than a week removed from his early hook in a loss against the Blue Jackets, Bruins netminder Jeremy Swayman turned in yet another solid performance in the Boston crease, with stops on 24 of the 25 shots thrown his way in the victory.

  Now, we can argue about whether or not Swayman deserved to be pulled from that last Columbus showdown ’til we’re blue in the face, but there’s no denying that Swayman has responded exactly how the Bruins could’ve hoped he would. He posted a shutout over the Sharks last Thursday, and held the Jackets to just one goal in his next shot at ‘avenging’ that early yank.

  And don’t look now, but it appears that the B’s are back to having two goaltenders surging at the right time.

• No. 1 Star: Brad Marchand

  

  Dec 3, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) celebrates scoring a goal during the third period against the Columbus Blue Jackets at TD Garden. (Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports)

• Few players have the takeover ability Brad Marchand skated with in the third period of this comeback win.

  Marchand tied things up, Marchand gave the Bruins the lead, and then he drew the penalty that put the B’s back on the power play and set the stage for his third and final goal of the evening. All in the span of five minutes and 50 seconds. That’s just some next level stuff from the B’s captain, honestly.

  NATURAL HAT TRICK! 🚨
  
  It took just 5:50 for Brad Marchand to record these three goals!
  
  Hat Trick Challenge presented by @AstraZenecaUS pic.twitter.com/vumC9STgpp

  — NHL (@NHL) December 4, 2023

  It may sound a bit hyperbolic, I admit, but you have to wonder if this is the weekend where Marchand officially became the B’s captain. Between the game-winning overtime goal in Toronto and then the hat trick Sunday night in Boston, this was one hell of a weekend for the first-year team captain.

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