In a rare Saturday start at 5:30 p.m., the Bruins were fresh of a Ryan Spooner OT goal that pitch-forked the New Jersey Devils, 3-2, less than 24 hours before in Newark. Those two points stretched Boston’s playoff lead for the eighth and final spot in the East to four points – temporarily.

A 3:00 p.m. start in south Florida, had the Panthers spotting Buffalo a two-goal lead before coming back in a 5-3 final, keeping pace with the Black and Gold at two points back at game time in TD Garden.

With five straight wins over the Coyotes, a team on an eight-game losing streak — the last three on the road — it would seem the Bruins were on easy street for these two points. Especially with Tuukka Rask back in net after playing 18 straight before Friday night when Niklas Svedberg spelled the reigning Vezina winner.

The only stat that might present an imposition? Boston was 7-2-2 in the front end of back-to-back games. And 2-6-3 on the back end.

In a game that featured the subplot of a rumored possible mega-deal between these two before Monday’s 3:00 p.m. trade deadline, all was quiet on the eastern and western fronts pre-game. No trade-deadline questions from the media — no comments from Claude Julien in his 4:20 pregame press conference.

That rumor? Jordan Caron, Matt Bartkowski, Malcom Subban and Boston’s No. 1 pick this June for – get ready to salivate – Coyote standout defenseman Keith Yandle and center Antoine Vermette.

Vermette’s deal to Chicago – for a prospect and a first round pick – after Saturday’s game put an end to that.

Back to the two points at hand.

No game has been easy for Boston this season. But the Bruins picked up right where they left off Friday night when Milan Lucic looked a Mike Smith gift-horse in the mouth – of the crease – after Smith misplayed the puck behind the net and it squirted back to Lucic for an easy poke-in at 2:40; assists to David Pastrnak and Spooner.

Boston would up the lead to 2-0 on a clinic-type 3-on-2 goal at 16:13. Brad Marchand sent Patrice Bergeron through center ice on a perfect breakout pass. Bergeron pushed a soft feed right side to Reilly Smith who put it back on a trailing Marchand’s stick. No. 63 would rifle a 20-footer past Smith for his 18th of the season.

Mike Smith was attempting his first win in his last nine starts. It was not to be against Boston.

Patrice Bergeron upped the lead to 3-0 at 3:03 into the second frame when he batted a second rebound past Smith. Zdeno Chara’s shot from the blue line started the play; it was Bergeron’s 18th red light of the season. Reilly Smith also assisted.

“Patrice is always a great player,” Julien commended postgame about the game’s No. 1 star. “He steps up in the absence of David Krejci by being the guy you really lean on from start to finish.”

At 11:50, Boston’s power play clicked for a 4-0 runaway. Lucic fed Smith at the point that was shoveled over to Chara who one timed it past the beleaguered Smith, while Carl Soderberg set up like a statue screening Smith.

It marked the Bruin captain’s very first goal at home this season. It also marked Lucic’s eighth multiple-point game, best among all players wearing black and gold as he mentors protégés Spooner and Pastrnak.

“He’s kind of taken them under his wing” Julien said about Lucic pregame and his role on a new line. “He’s [kind of] said, ‘You know guys? Let’s go out there and …let’s make things happen.’”

That threesome made things happen with five points in two periods.

“Looch has really done a good job of stepping in with two young guys and being the father figure and making sure these guys feel comfortable and playing their game,” Julien continued postgame.

“I think our game is going in the right direction,” Lucic added. “That’s what we need to keep our focus on – our compete level.”

That would be all for Smith whose season slate would plummet to 10-30-5 with a ballooning 3.29 GAA.  He was replaced with Louis Domingue who had two NHL games under his belt. (Do you think Phoenix could use a Malcolm Subban for its future 24-square-foot planning?)

Entering the third period, the Bruins were 92-1-2 since 2010-11 season when leading by three or more.

Martin Erat would deny Rask’s third shutout of the season when he put Phoenix on the board at 10:21.

The two points put Boston back up by four over Florida in the playoff watch as the calendar flips to March with 20 games left in the regular season.

“Everybody had a good game tonight,” Julien assessed about the team’s third win in the last four games. “It’s not who we play, it’s how we play that matters now until the end. We’ve got a big month of March.”

Very big.