Brad Marchand was on another level Saturday as the veteran winger was perhaps the biggest factor behind the Boston Bruins’ 7-5 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins at TD Garden.
Marchand scored three goals and added another assist for a four-point performance. He had three points in the second period alone as Boston scored five second-period goals.
Marchand now has 17 goals and 24 assists in 32 games this season. His production, both Saturday and season-long, earned the praise of teammates David Pastrnak and David Krejci after Saturday’s win.
“Yeah, he’s been a workhorse player for a while now,” Pastrnak said on a postgame video conference. “Obviously, he’s a huge part of our hockey team. And he’s on fire and we love to see it. He’s energetic and we just need to feed off his energy more. He’s been on fire and, obviously, he does it all.”
Krejci, who recorded career assist No. 500 on Saturday, referenced Marchand’s playmaking ability. Marchand provided the assist on Krejci’s power-play goal at 18:29 of the second period.
“Yeah, he’s got everything,” Krejci said of his longtime teammate. “He scores lots of goals and when he’s about to shoot the puck, their goalie and their defense, their players, they are trying to block it. And if we get open, he’ll find you.
“He’s a really good playmaker and he made a great pass on that play,” Krejci said.
The Bruins will return to the TD Garden ice Monday against the Philadelphia Flyers.
