Earlier in the day, the Boston Bruins could’ve gotten an Easter basket prepared to send to the Pittsburgh Penguins after their 7-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings.

By the end of the night, the Black and Gold helped their own cause. Though, as usual, it didn’t come easy.

After trailing 1-0 in a pretty frustrating first period in Toronto, the Bruins kept things simple for the next 40 minutes. That led to puck possession, good defense in front of Tuukka Rask and capitalizing on their opportunities — things that they didn’t do during their five-game losing streak. Two second period goals from Zdeno Chara and Patrice Bergeron 3:37 apart and Matt Beleskey’s empty netter in the third gave the Black and Gold a 3-1 victory over the Maple Leafs Saturday night at the Air Canada Centre.

With the win, the Bruins lead the Red Wings by three points for third place in the Atlantic Division.

Core players set the tone

Patrice Bergeron scored his 29th of the season with a power play goal in the second period to tie the game at 1-1. (Photo by Joe Makarski, Bruins Daily)

As the importance grows with each game, so does the reliance on the Bruins’ core.

Bergeron (on a power play) and Chara (4-on-4) set the tone with their second period goals. The other assistant captain, David Krejci, tallied two assists. All three were active on both ends of the ice; outplaying and outmuscling a Leafs team that came into the game having won six of their last eight.

Tuukka Rask had a very solid 25-save effort. Brad Marchand, who didn’t notch a point, was effective in setting up scoring chances for his line while also sticking his nose in the dirty areas.

Claude Julien got a good effort from his most important players on Saturday night. That should be expected from them this late in the season, especially with the team still in transition.

Beleskey rewarded for his effort

Matt Beleskey had a goal and an assist in in Saturday’s 3-1 win. (Photo by Joe Makarski, Bruins Daily)

Don Sweeney’s transactions in his first year on the job have been dissected as good, bad and ugly. His signing of Matt Beleskey certainly falls in the good category.

Some of Beleskey’s play doesn’t show up on the stat sheets. The energy he brings on a nightly basis is not charted, yet it’s a reason he’s been one of the most consistent players on the Black and Gold this season.

On Saturday, the former Duck tallied a goal and an assist — both on the power play — while delivering four hits and three blocked shots. One of those blocked shots came during the Leafs’ final push late in the third period as he laid out and got in the way of Jake Gardiner’s shot from the point.

Beleskey’s blue-collar effort resonates with his teammates, and it showed on Saturday. His style has earned him a promotion to the first power play unit. It’s also earning him an increase in production.

Better start still needed

Now with a three point lead over the Red Wings, the Bruins enter Tuesday’s game in Newark vs. the Devils with a little more breathing room. (Photo by Joe Makarski, Bruins Daily)

For a team that was in the midst of their worst slump of the season, the second and third periods were refreshing to watch. Their first period, however, was anything but stellar. More often than not, they looked timid with the puck, which often left to head-scratching decisions leading to the Leafs generating quality chances.

If anything, this shows that the Bruins are still looking for a consistent 60-minute effort that they’ve rarely had this year. Four of their next six opponents (the Devils, Hurricanes, Red Wings and Senators) sit outside the top eight in the Eastern Conference. The other two games are against teams who could represent the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup Final (Blues and Blackhawks).

The Bruins have a little more breathing room over the Red Wings after their win over the Maple Leafs. The first period showed that they can ill afford to take things for granted. With 360 minutes (or more) left in the regular season, they’ll need to dig deep from start to finish.