BOSTON — The Bruins didn’t play particularly well Tuesday night against the Florida Panthers, but they were rescued by a resurgent Brad Marchand in overtime.
He scored the game-winning goal — his fifth of the season and fourth in the last three games — with a highlight-reel effort at 3:27 of the overtime period to help Boston secure two points and improve to 8-6-0.
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“There was a little more room, but they were kind of tired,” Marchand said of his winning goal. “They were in their zone for a bit there. I just wanted to try to regroup and get some speed, and Dougie (Hamilton) made a nice play. It was a little bit of a gap there, and I just wanted to try to get it to the net, and the puck went in.”
Marchand was demoted to the third line for Boston’s Oct. 18 game against the Buffalo Sabres after scoring only one goal in his first 11 games. He responded with a two-goal performance, including an overtime winner. He’s now on a three-game goal streak, something the Nova Scotia native accomplished just twice last season.
“I think the confidence part is certainly there,” Bruins head coach Claude Julien said of Marchand. “He missed a couple of real good opportunities before he even scored. I guess he was just feeling it and it was just a matter of time. It’s nice to see him not quit or get discouraged, and (he) found a way to find a nice winning goal for us. But his game’s really come along there in the last week.”
Marchand’s improved scoring production has come at a perfect time for a Bruins offense that is without top-line center David Krejci, who’s battling an undisclosed injury that’s forced him to miss two consecutive games. Krejci was leading the Bruins in scoring with nine points when he left the lineup, but Marchand and linemates Patrice Bergeron and Reilly Smith have picked up the slack in his absence.
The Bergeron line played its best game of the season Tuesday night and has combined for five goals and five assists in the last three games.
Not only is this line scoring, it’s also winning puck battles along the boards, playing quality defense and controlling puck possession. This trio combined for a even-strength 66.7 Corsi-for percentage against the Panthers, led by Marchand’s plus-15 Corsi at even strength. This helps explains how Boston was able to attempt 52 shots towards goal, eight more than Florida.
The Bruins have won three games in a row for the first time all season, and it’s no coincidence that this success is happening at the same time the Bergeron line is playing its best hockey of the campaign.
“I think (Tuesday) was a real big step forward for us,” Marchand said. “We played with a lot more confidence than we have in the past number of games, and it seems like were able to make plays now and hold on. I think that’s one thing we weren’t doing very well early on. We were throwing it away a lot, and weren’t supporting each other very well. But our legs seemed to be under us, we seemed to be more comfortable with the puck, and we felt really good tonight.”
Photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
