GOLD STAR: Brad Marchand continues to put the Bruins on his shoulder and refuse to let them lose. In the five games since Patrice Bergeron exited the lineup with a fractured foot, Marchand has five goals, nine points, a plus-4 rating and has three game-winning goals while powering the Black and Gold through their homestand. In Thursday night’s edition of Marchand heroics, he was crashing the net to help create Riley Nash’s goal in the first period and then pounced on a loose puck in the crease for the game-winner with just 22 seconds remaining in the third period. Marchand did all of this while mixing it up physically during the game, and while wearing the ‘A’ letter on his sweater with David Backes suspended for the next three games. Great players elevate their games when their team needs them, and that’s exactly what No. 63 is doing right now.
BLACK EYE: It certainly doesn’t seem like Wayne Simmonds is all the way back to 100 percent for the Flyers after coming back from injury. He got busted in the mouth with a Kevan Miller high stick in the first period for his troubles, and then played 14:06 of ice time without a single shot on net while turning pucks over, and not really playing his usual tough brand of hockey around the front of the net. Instead he finished with three missed shots and a giveaway to Tommy Wingels at the Bruins blue line that quickly turned into Boston’s second goal of the night. It was also the second night of back-to-backs for Simmonds after missing time with injury, so perhaps the off game was to be completely expected.
TURNING POINT: The Bruins turned it on in the third period and once again outdistanced an opponent in the period where they’ve routinely dominated teams this season. It was the first 20 minute block where they outshot a Flyers team that was clearly lagging while playing their second night of back-to-back games. Clearly outshooting was one thing, but it was really about finally breaking through with the game-winning goal with just 22 seconds remaining to give the Bruins a victory where they once again hadn’t quite played their best hockey. They did save their best for last, however, and that’s something they’ve done all season.
HONORABLE MENTION: Zdeno Chara was not very good in the win over the Red Wings, but he was much, much better a couple of days later. Chara led all Bruins with 23:55 of ice time, picked up a couple of assists, was a plus-2, finished with eight shot attempts, threw three hits and blocked a couple of shots in a full night’s work. The second blocked shot was a key third period penalty kill where he took a Jakub Voracek blast right off the right hand, but finished out the PK shift clearing the puck before heading back to the bench. With Charlie McAvoy missing the next month or so, the Bruins are going to need these kinds of nights from Chara, and he brought it for the Black and Gold in a game where they needed their good players to bring their best.
BY THE NUMBERS: 71-43 – the impressive rate by which the Bruins are outscoring their opponents in the third period this season.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "He seems like he's on a little bit of a mission with [Patrice] Bergeron out. He wants to pick the team up in the offensive part of it." –Bruce Cassidy on Brad Marchand, who has five goals and nine points in the five games since Patrice Bergeron exited the B’s lineup.