The value Brad Marchand has had to the Boston Bruins organization is no secret, but he joined some pretty elite company Tuesday night.
With his assist on David Pastrnak’s third-period goal in the Bruins’ 6-2 undressing of the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena, Marchand secured his 100th point of the season. He also scored earlier in the game for his 99th point of the season, but when the game was over, Marchand had brought his line to 36-64-100 for the year.
Marchand became the fifth player this season to reach the 100-point threshold, and the first Bruin to do it since Joe Thornton in the 2002-03 campaign.
To go back in time a little bit further, this was the ninth time in the last 40 years a Bruin has reached the 100-point mark.
Yeah, Adam Oates was insane.
Back to Marchand though. His linemate Patrice Bergeron was asked about the accomplishment, and the center didn’t have enough good things to say.
“He’s an amazing player,” Bergeron told NESN’s Alex Kraemer, after the game, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “I think people around the league are starting to realize that, even though it’s been going on for quite a while now. Well deserved, can’t be happier for him. He’s worked so hard to develop his game and get better from one year to the next. It’s well worth it, but it’s all coming from him, it’s all from his own doing, and I’m really happy for him.”
With two games left to play, Marchand has a little more time to climb the franchise’s all-time ranks.
Here are some other notes from Tuesday’s Bruins-Blue Jackets game:
— Marcus Johansson scored his first goal with the Bruins and the assist came from, of course, fellow trade deadline acquisition Charlie Coyle.
During the first period, Chris Wagner tried a shot from a few feet away that was blocked by Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. Coyle turned and fired the rebound back on net, but that too was stopped. Johansson, however, managed to put away that loose puck to put the B’s ahead 2-0.
The Johansson-Coyle-Wagner line looked pretty good Tuesday, which is a promising sign since Johansson has struggled to find consistency in his Bruins tenure.
— Save for a couple power-play goals allowed in the third period, Tuukka Rask looked sharp. The Bruins netminder stopped 32 of the 34 shots he faced, making a number of impressive saves in the win.
It’s been a trying stretch for Rask, who has stumbled a little bit in recent games. But delivering a 32-save performance against a Blue Jackets team that had won five straight and very much needed another victory was a good way to possibly get the goalie back on track.
— Jake DeBrusk had a two-goal night.
Despite missing some time due to a concussion earlier in the season, the second-year winger’s second-period tally was his 27th goal of the year.
— The Bruins secured the second spot in the Atlantic Division with their win and the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 4-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. That means the Bruins will have home-ice advantage for their first-round playoff series with Toronto.
