BOSTON (AP) — Lukas Reichel had a goal and an assist in his Boston debut, Jeremy Swayman made 22 saves and the Bruins beat the Winnipeg Jets 6-1 on Thursday night to end a two-game losing streak.

David Pastrnak scored his 27th goal of the season and had an assist. Viktor Arvidsson and Pavel Vacha also each had a goal and assist, and Fraser Minten and Jonathan Aspirot added late goals.

Fighting for one of the final Eastern Conference playoff spots, the Bruins finished in regulation for only the second time in seven games. They were coming off overtime losses at New Jersey on Monday night and Montreal on Tuesday night.

Jonathan Toews ended Swayman’s shutout bid on a tip-in at 5:38 of the third. Connor Hellebuyck stopped 22 shots for Winnipeg.

Reichel came to Boston from Vancouver at the trade deadline and was recalled from Providence of the American Hockey League on Wednesday.

The 23-year-old German winger Reichel made it 2-0 at 6:23 of the second period. Hellebuyck misplayed the puck behind the net on a wraparound, inadvertently knocking it out front for Reichel to swat in.

Pastrnak opened the scoring with 5:08 left in the first. He got the puck back off his own rebound, moved to the front and fired in a wrister.

Arvidsson knocked in a backhander off a scramble with 1:44 remaining in the second, and Zacha scored at 3:15 of the third.

After Toews put Winnipeg on the board, Minten had a tip-in with 4:08 left and Aspirot capped the scoring with 1:42 to go.

The Jets opened a three-game trip after an eight-game homestand.

Jets: At Pittsburgh on Saturday.

Bruins: At Detroit on Saturday night.

A Hempfield woman is facing felony theft charges after detectives accuse her of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from a parent-teacher organization fund to use for her own personal gain.

An investigation into the Fort Allen Elementary PTO began in early March after a complaint was filed that there was a shortage of funds within the group’s checking account.

Detectives say Darshanna Truss, the PTO treasurer, pocketed $46,000 from the organization over a span of nearly two years.  

“Detectives reviewed the financial records and discovered that between July 1, 2023 to present, Truss was issued 48 checks totaling $28,400 and 30 checks issued to ‘cash’ totaling $17,600. The checks issued directly to Truss were deposited into her personal bank accounts via mobile deposit,” according to investigating Detective Ray Dupilka.

Truss has been the PTO treasurer since 2023, according to the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office.

“This is an isolated incident. This is not reflective of our school community, our school district, or anything pertaining to our children or staff,” said Dr. Mark Holtzman, the Hempfield Area School District superintendent. 

Holtzman said while the district has no direct oversight over PTO groups, the board will ensure no student was affected by Truss’ actions.

“We’re going to supplement any changes financially that are any experiences that are necessary,” Holtzman said. “The experience for children in that school will remain the same until the PTO can kind of get back on their feet.”

The PTO provides support to students and teachers at Fort Allen Elementary by sponsoring and organizing events, field trips, enrichment programs and other educational activities. 

Hotlzman said that despite the incident, students need support.

“We need people to rally around the children, the school, the principal, the district, to help right the wrong,” Holtzman said. 

The Fort Allen PTO president released a statement to KDKA saying, “I’m grateful for those investigating this matter and trust the process will be handled thoroughly and fairly. Rebuilding trust within our community and strengthening this organization will take time and effort. That is where the focus is. I’m grateful for the many people who have offered to help in different ways and I believe the PTO’s best days are yet to come.”

According to the Westmoreland County District Attorney’s Office, “Prior to speaking to detectives about the allegations, Truss admitted to providing Fort Allen Elementary school with a $10,000 cashier’s check to be used toward ongoing PTO operations.”

Detectives issued a warrant for Truss’ arrest on Thursday.

Gov. Ned Lamont continues to push for a gas tax holiday, even though the proposal appears to have little momentum in the legislature.  

Lamont (D-Connecticut) first floated the idea during a press conference on March 10, saying it could help drivers facing rising gas prices amid the ongoing war in Iran.  

He told reporters at the Capitol on Thursday that he remains keen on the idea.  

“I’ve got 500 million (dollars) I can help people with, and I say sooner rather than later,” Lamont said.  

A holiday would pause the 25-cent-per-gallon tax on gasoline and the 49-cent-per-gallon tax on diesel.  

The average gas price in Connecticut on Thursday was $3.74, according to AAA, up from $3 per gallon a year ago.  

Lawmakers were receptive to the idea when it was first floated, but on Thursday, they said it was part of broader budget talks.  

“We’ll see how that works out in the budget,” Sen. Bob Duff (D-Majority Leader) said. “We’ll see how that works in the next few weeks.”  

Duff and his Senate Democratic colleagues have proposed a package that includes more sales tax exemptions, a higher property tax credit, and additional tax breaks for renters and low-income families.  

Senate Republicans made a similar pitch in a letter to Lamont on Wednesday, using the proposal as an invitation to talk about their call to use $1.6 billion in budget surplus funds to pay for tax cuts.  

The estimated average tax cuts of $1,500 per person match what Sen. Ryan Fazio (R-Greenwich) has proposed on the campaign trail.  

“It is possible, and not very difficult, to pay for tax relief in the long run if you reduce the growth of spending in the state budget,” Fazio said.  

Senate Republicans have suggested budget cuts in future years could help make their tax cut permanent.  

Lamont on Thursday reiterated his desire for a vote on the gas tax soon. He noted the House and Senate are set to vote next week on some judicial nominations.  

“So there’s certainly a way to vote on it if the leaders want to vote on it,” Lamont said.  

Lamont’s budget proposal includes setting aside $500 million in surplus funds to offer a one-time $200 tax rebate to most people, but he has since suggested the state could draw from that same fund to offset revenue lost by a gas tax holiday.  

He repeated his concerns Thursday about other tax relief proposals, mainly those he questions the sustainability of. 

The state is looking at a $1.6 billion surplus this year in tax revenues from certain unpredictable streams, including income tax from investors.  

A volatility cap limits how much the state can spend from those streams, leading to this year’s surplus. Unspent money goes into the Rainy Day Fund and toward pension debt. 

Senate Democrats and Republicans have both targeted that same surplus to pay for their tax relief plans.  

House Democrats, meanwhile, suggested the state could use some of Lamont’s proposed $500 million pool to increase education aid.  

“Everybody says I want something structural and long-term,” Lamont said Thursday. “That means structural deficits that are long-term. I don’t want that to happen.”  

The state is in the middle of a two-year budget, but the legislature typically makes changes to that second year.  

The legislature’s Finance, Revenue and Bonding Committee has until April 1 to present and propose tax changes, while the Appropriations Committee’s deadline to approve a spending plan is the following day.  

If lawmakers choose to present a plan that differs from Lamont’s, the two sides will likely negotiate a compromise before the legislature votes.  

Those talks typically go until late in the session, which ends May 6 this year. If a gas tax holiday is part of the budget plan, it may not take effect until late spring or early summer.