Pavel Zacha Delivers Well-Rounded Night To Boost Bruins In Win

BOSTON — The Bruins needed a full team effort on Thursday night to navigate the fog of a recent three-game losing streak. To do so, they needed to return to their identity and have key players step up.

Pavel Zacha met that challenge for Boston in the 3-0 win over the San Jose Sharks.

The veteran center earned an assist on Jake DeBrusk’s second-period goal before scoring on the power play himself in the third period to add insurance. Zacha noticed collective progress from the team in the victory.

“I think there’s still a lot of things in today’s game that we need to sharpen up,” Zacha said. “I think it was a good step forward. We knew after three games like that, we have to respond.”

Arguably Zacha’s greatest impact in the win came on the penalty kill. As a staple of the league’s fifth-best group in that department, the Bruins killed off all eight penalties on the night. Multiple penalties came from fights in defense of fellow teammates, which Zacha noted that Boston “happy to kill those.”

With physical play and quality offensive looks, the Bruins righted the ship at home against San Jose.

Zacha and the Bruins look to stay in rhythm on Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET. You can catch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.