Jimmy Hayes scores 3 goals for Bruins in 7-3 win over Senators

BOSTON - Jimmy Hayes barely had time to celebrate his first three-goal game in the NHL.

Hayes poked in a rebound with a second left for a power-play goal that completed his first career hat trick as the Boston Bruins beat the Ottawa Senators 7-3 on Tuesday night.

"It's a dream come true and it's a pretty cool feeling," said Hayes, a Boston native who entered the game with five goals this season. "It's always fun to score a hat trick in any league. To do it in the NHL for your hometown team is great."

Hayes scored the opening goal 8:01 into the first period, then added two more at the end as the Bruins scored three times in the final 4:11.

Boston ended a three-game losing streak and earned a split in the home-and-home series with the Senators, who didn't go quietly once the Bruins put the game out of reach. The Senators and Bruins combined for four fighting majors and six 10-minute misconduct penalties in the final 1:03.

Patrice Bergeron and Matt Beleskey had two goals apiece for the Bruins. Tuukka Rask made 29 saves, including 12 in the third period.

"It was a great example of how we need to win games," Bergeron said. "I thought we did a good job to keep pushing and keep pressing to try and go on the offensive and keep scoring goals. That's your best defence sometimes."

Boston got the offence it lacked Sunday in a 3-1 loss at Ottawa.

Craig Anderson, who stopped 38 shots Sunday, finished with 30 saves for the Senators.

Ottawa trimmed Boston's 4-2 lead to one early in the third period, but the Bruins closed it out with three goals in the final 4:11. Hayes and Beleskey scored 51 seconds apart, then Hayes added a goal in the final second of the game. Boston fans had just enough time to celebrate the hat trick by throwing caps onto the ice before the buzzer sounded to end a chippy finish.

There were several late fights, including multiple scrums during a stoppage with 27 seconds remaining that featured all five skaters paired off with an opponent.

Coach Dave Cameron defended putting some of the Senators' tough guys on the ice at the end, noting Ottawa plays at New Jersey on Wednesday.

"I'm going to play the guys that normally I play at the end of a game when the score is out of hand," Cameron said. "My high-end guys play high-end minutes. Why would I have them out there when I play tomorrow? So no, I wasn't trying to send a message."

Chris Neil had a goal and an assist for Ottawa. Mika Zibanejad and Mike Hoffman also scored.

Bergeron's power-play goal with 3:25 left in the first period put Boston up 2-1, then Beleskey made it 3-1 with another power-play goal 1:21 into the second.

Ottawa cut the lead to 3-2 with 2:09 left in the second when the puck bounced across the crease to Zibanejad, who lifted a shot above Rask as he tried to get back across.

Bergeron tipped in a shot by Krug from the blue line to put Boston up 4-2 on a power-play goal 2:38 into the third. Krug, who also assisted on Bergeron's goal in the first, got his 100th career point with the assist.

Hoffman pulled Ottawa to 4-3 just 1:44 later.

Cameron was still irked after the game when asked about a hit Boston's Brad Marchand made on Mark Borowiecki in the first period, but stopped short of lobbying for a suspension.

"That's not up to me. Phone the league and ask the league," Cameron said.

NOTES: It was Boston's 2,999th regular-season win. The only franchise to win more is Montreal, which visits Friday when the Bruins host the Winter Classic at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. ... Boston placed C David Krejci on injured reserve with an upper-body injury. Krejci was hurt Sunday in Boston's 3-1 loss at Ottawa and must sit out for at least seven days from the time he was injured, meaning he will miss the Winter Classic. ... Boston recalled D Seth Griffith from Providence of the AHL. ... Krug returned after missing Sunday's game with a leg injury. ... Ottawa C Curtis Lazar missed his second straight game with an undisclosed injury.