Brad Marchand tallied two goals to help the Boston Bruins to a fourth straight win with their 3-1 victory against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on Saturday night.
Boston improved to 31-17-4 with the victory while San Jose fell to 23-23-6 on the campaign.
You can check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The scoreboard proved a bit closer than the game itself, well, at least for a matter of two-plus periods. The Bruins dominated much of the contest with their puck possession, helping pave way to a clear advantage in offensive zone time. Boston’s puck retrieval was equally as impactful, perhaps best depicted by Taylor Hall hustling down a puck before centering a pass for Brad Marchand’s go-ahead goal three minutes into the third period. Boston gave up just five shots in the first period and four in the second period (24-9 edge after two periods) while San Jose was without a shot for the opening six minutes of the third period.
San Jose finished the game with four shots in a matter of four minutes, but Boston held the clear edge on that end while out-shooting the hosts 37-16. Patrice Bergeron added a crucial insurance goal at 19:20 to put the game away after another strong offensive-zone chance.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Marchand scored Boston’s first two goals of the game, twice giving the visitors a one-goal lead. Marchand’s 22nd goal of the season came on a twine-seeking shot at 14:24 of the first period and was set up by first-line winger Jake DeBrusk. Marchand then gave the Bruins a 2-1 lead at 3:18 of the third frame and assisted on Bergeron’s insurance goal.
— DeBrusk assisted on Marchand’s first goal on a perfectly-placed pass on an odd-man rush. DeBrusk, who was elevated to the top line prior to Thursday’s game, now has five points in the last four contests (four goals, one assist).
— Sharks goaltender James Reimer kept the game close with 34 saves on 37 shots.
WAGER WATCH
Brad Marchand had the shortest odds of any player to score the first goal of Saturday’s game at +950, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. Still, a $10 wager on Marchand to score the game’s opening goal would have made one bettor $95 richer as he did so with six minutes left in the first period.
UP NEXT AT NESN
The Bruins will continue their six-game road trip with the third of such contests Monday. Boston will take on the Los Angeles Kings with puck drop set for 10:30 p.m. ET, and you can watch coverage on NESN with pregame beginning at 10 p.m.
