Though the end got a bit scary for the Bruins in their 3-2 victory over the Capitals on Saturday (recap), the win accomplished two things. It snapped Boston's three-game losing streak and it put one of the tougher teams in the division (usually, anyway) out of their heads for the rest of the regular season. 

With the win, the Bruins can now close the regular-season book on the Capitals having taken three games of four from them. Washington, meanwhile, has another loss to lament in front of HBO cameras, as their skid has hit eight games. 

It wasn't all good for the Bruins, who lost Brad Marchand during the game to an undisclosed injury. The winger left following the second period, with Claude Julien only saying after the game that he is day-to-day. 

If Marchand can't go over the next couple of games, do the Bruins bring Jordan Caron back up? Do they simply put Daniel Paille into the lineup and not have a guy milling around should somebody get hurt last minute? These are the things the Bruins will have to keep an eye on in the coming days.

Here's the Hat Trick:

NARROWLY ESCAPING WHAT HAD THE MAKINGS OF A BLOWOUT

The Bruins certainly went to extremes in Saturday's game. In the first period, they were dominant and appeared set to run up the score after jumping out to a 3-0 lead. In the third period, they were outworked in every facet of the game and emerged from the game fortunate that their good period yielded three goals, while the bad yielded only one for the opposition. 

"I think tonight was a little unique in the sense that we got off to that good start, had a good lead, and then we kind of were just trying to hear that last buzzer and get those two points, because we didn't really play our game in the third period," said Blake Wheeler.

To the rescue once again came Tim Thomas. The 36-year-old wasn't at his sharpest in the first two periods, but the Capitals had only one goal to that point -- a Matt Bradley tally in the second period -- to show for 15 shots. 

Once the third period rolled around, the Washington offense came to life and Thomas shined. The Capitals put 26 shots on Thomas in the period, which was more than the Bruins had in the entire game (21). Though he allowed one goal in the third, Thomas' efforts were enough to give his team the win.

"I think we're almost starting to take him for granted," Wheeler said of Thomas. "When the puck actually does go in the net, you're almost surprised. The one thing you always say about Timmy is that he's always competing back there no matter what."

Instead of breaking out of a three-game skid with an emphatic win, the Bruins limped to the finish line against a team that has now lost eight straight games. The B's had every opportunity to end the night Saturday with their heads held high and momentum heading into Monday night's tilt with the Ducks. They didn't get that, but they'll take the two points. 

BERGERON LINE HITTING ITS STRIDE

Was the three-year, $15 million extension Patrice Bergeron inked prior to the season a case of the team giving him big money in anticipation of a career-year? Maybe, but Bergeron has been showing the form that made so many in the preseason believe the B's would regret it dearly if he hit free agency. 

The second line (Wheeler - Bergeron - Mark Recchi) that the 25-year-old has anchored for most of the season wasn't exactly a game-changing unit in the early going of the season, but its play has stood out amongst the rest of the Bruins' offense.

Bergeron has four points over the last two games, while Wheeler has three, including goals in consecutive games for the first time this season.

Wheeler set up the first goal of the game by holding onto the puck -- more so than Bergeron would have liked perhaps -- on a 2-on-2 and dropping it to his center after drawing the attention of both Capitals defensemen. 

"That was a great play by him. I was yelling for the puck a little before that and I thought he didn’t hear me but he was just waiting for the right moment, and that was a great play and a great move by him," Bergeron said. "He actually surprised me when he gave it to me, but I was ready."

Bergeron went on to assist Wheeler's eighth goal of the season later in the period. Wheeler, who has long been criticized as an underachiever, simply sees the line's resurgence as a collective realization that there is more they can do.  

"I think sometimes you think you’re working hard and you think you’re in the right spots and doing the right things, but you might be thinking a little too much, maybe hesitating a step slow and I think all three of us are just hounding the puck everywhere it is on the ice," Wheeler said.

"If they make good passes through you, then just work hard and backcheck, but don’t let them have easy lanes to pass in. If you’re going hard at them, it makes their job all the more difficult. When you create turnovers in the offensive zone, that’s where you create scoring chances, so I just think we’ve really been doing a better job of not sitting back and sort of trying to force the issue here."

ANDREW FERENCE IS ALL SET FOR THE NEXT 99 GAMES

An Andrew Ference goal is a rare sight around these parts. The 31-year-old blueliner had scored just three goals as a Bruin entering the night and had not picked up a goal since Feb. 22, 2009. When he sent a shot past Michal Neuvirth from the point in the first period, he scored his first goal in 99 games. 

"[Scoring is] not my priority, but you don’t want to go that long," Ference said after the game. "It’s a lot of shots in between and you are waiting for a lucky bounce and I finally got it. This is some of the best I have ever felt in my whole career hockey-wise."

By no means is Ference letting the tally go to his head. If he can put the puck on the stick of someone who can do the job better, he will have done his job. 

"It's nice to finally get one in," he said, "but obviously the priority at our end is get it out and give it to the guys that are a little bit better at consistently scoring."