Good isn’t a strong enough word to describe how well Brad Marchand has played to start the 2019-20 season.
The Bruins winger came to the rescue yet again Wednesday night, tying things up with less than 15 minutes to play in Boston’s eventual 2-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Center.
His point streak now sits at five games.
That's ?'s in 4️⃣straight for @Bmarch63. #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/6GH1jxg2Jf
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) November 28, 2019
Marchand has notched 18 goals and 25 assists for a grand total of 43 points through the Bruins first 25 games of the season. That’s an impressive number, to say the least.
Bruins captain Zdeno Chara lauded the first-liner after the game.
“It was great patience by Brad, that’s why he’s obviously (one of our) leading scorer(s),” he said, per the team. “He’s our engine up front and he showed why he’s so good. He got a great pass by (Anders Bjork) and showed, like I said, great patience.”
?After scoring the game-winner, Zdeno Chara discusses his goal, Marchand's tally and the ovation from the Ottawa crowd: pic.twitter.com/sSjA8yUugp
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) November 28, 2019
Head coach Bruce Cassidy liked what he saw from Marchand, and thinks it’s a positive sign for the B’s already-talented offense.
“We’ve finally got over the blue line with the puck with a little bit of speed, and now that’s where our team can make plays,” he said, per the team. “We’ll find each other. We’ll get it to the net. And that’s where I think the game changed a little bit in the third. We finally got through there, we were a little cleaner, had a little more jump, were able to force them to defend instead of us always returning to our end.
“And you know, Marchy, he’s going to finish it, and same with the other goal. We had some puck possession, different animal … but we broke them down and got a good look from (Chara).”
Here are some more notes from Wednesday’s Bruins-Senators game:
— The Bruins have a streak of their own going on at the moment.
Thanks to Wednesday’s win, the Bruins currently boast a five-game win streak. Boston now has back-to-back road wins in its pocket after Tuesday’s monstrous 8-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre.
Head coach Bruce Cassidy wasn’t pleased with how the Bruins started the game, but couldn’t complain much about the result.
“Back-to-back games, we’ve been fine over the years. But for today, for whatever reason, (the Bruins) weren’t clean with the puck early on. … It took us a while to sort of get to our game where we could get through there and establish a little something, but eventually, we got there and it took everybody and found a way to win.”
"It took us a while to sort of get to our game where we could get through there and establish a little something. Eventually we got there, and it took everybody. We found a way to win."
?Bruce Cassidy spoke following the #NHLBruins 2-1 victory in Ottawa: pic.twitter.com/LqM7cAxBbx
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) November 28, 2019
— Wednesday’s win was made possible by some impressive work in net by Tuukka Rask.
Boston’s netminder stopped 33 of the 34 shots he faced, standing on his head at times to help keep the Bruins come away with a win. And while he tracked the puck well against the Senators, Rask isn’t taking all the credit.
“I saw most of the shots, so that was good,” he said, per the team. “I think clearing the rebounds has been very good lately and guys boxing out has been good. So whenever that happens, it makes our job (as goalies) so much easier.”
?After allowing only 2 goals in the back-to-back, Rask talks the succes of the #NHLBruins goaltending duo: "I think in a back-to-back scenario, you’re just trying to give your team a chance – especially in the beginning and not let the game get out of hand and it worked out." pic.twitter.com/II9Okp7Y9W
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) November 28, 2019
— Brendan Gaunce made his NHL debut in style.
The 25-year-old centered the Bruins’ second-line, earning an assist on Chara’s game-winner in the third period.
“It was a good forechecking shift from our line,” Gaunce said after the game. “… My guy was coming down from Zee’s point so he was in the right spot, and obviously he hammered it home.”
"It was a good forechecking shift from our line…my guy was coming down from Zee’s point so he was in the right spot, and obviously he hammered it home."
?@BrendanGaunce16 chats after collecting an ?on the game-winning goal: pic.twitter.com/Qx4AphEzpp
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) November 28, 2019
— The Bruins head back home to take on the New York Rangers on Friday, with puck drop from TD Garden slated for 1 p.m. ET.
