BOSTON — The way Boston Bruins winger Brad Marchand has talked about his performance as of late, it would seem he is having an incredibly down season.
But in a 3-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night at TD Garden, Marchand accomplished a rare feat that only two other players in Bruins history — Patrice Bergeron and Johnny Bucyk — can also lay claim to.
With his goal 3:51 into the first period that trickled past Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner, Marchand scored his 20th goal of the campaign, making it 10 consecutive seasons that the 34-year-old has hit that scoring mark.
With Marchand joining Bergeron in the exclusive club, the Bruins captain raved about Marchand’s stellar consistency as an impact player.
“I think it’s his work ethic and the way that he just approaches every practice, every game, every workout,” Bergeron said. “His will and his want to just get better every day and his competitive level, obviously. He’s just one of those guys that competes and goes to those tough areas. Kudos to him and I’m not surprised he’s able to do that again.”
Marchand still feels like he’s not playing up to his capabilities after undergoing double hip surgery in the offseason. But the numbers don’t exactly agree with the veteran forward as he’s still producing at a point per game pace.
And if Marchand, who clearly has very high standards, can unlock the level he wants to get to, it should make the Bruins even more dangerous — despite not showing it offensively against the Oilers — once the playoffs roll around.
