Marchand Does It Again, Scores Game-Winner Late As Bruins Beat Flyers 3-2
Brad Marchand continues to come through in the clutch for the Bruins, who refuse to lose even without Patrice Bergeron, Charlie McAvoy, and now David Backes.
Marchand scored the game-winning goal for the third straight game as he scored with just 22 seconds left in regulation to give the B’s a 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday.
Highlights
The game-winning play started with a one-timer from Zdeno Chara that found its way to the crease area, where David Pastrnak poked it behind Flyers goalie Alex Lyon. Marchand found the trickling puck by the goal line and raked it into the back of the net to put the B’s up 3-2.
Although Marchand has become a human highlight reel, the Flyers grabbed the first highlight of the night when Jakub Voracek scored on an early power play. The Flyers winger was left alone at the bottom of the faceoff dot, where dynamic rookie Nolan Patrick found him with a ridiculous between-the-legs backhgand pass for the one-timer to put the Flyers up 1-0 just 1:38 into the game.
But the Bruins eventually stormed back, starting with Riley Nash’s tying goal midway through the first. Marchand got the Flyers defense disorganized with a couple of nifty moves and Kevan Miller blasted a shot from the top of the faceoff circle to set up Nash for the rebound chance, which he buried to make it 1-1.
And GM Don Sweeney struck again when new addition Brian Gionta scored on a breakaway, sparked by an excellent outlet pass from Zdeno Chara. Gionta showed good patience as he deked and backhanded it over Lyon for his first goal as a Bruin.
Jori Lehtera got the equalizer for the Flyers, however, when he capitalized on a 2-on-1 opportunity to jam it through the five-hole of Tuukka Rask to tie the game 2-2.
But it was Marchand’s game from there, as he continued his remarkable streak of dominant offensive play and clutch scoring. He scored the game-winners in OT against the Canadiens and Red Wings in the two games prior to Thursday, and this time got the job done in regulation.
The Bruins (42-15-8) are now 5-0-0 in five straight games without Patrice Bergeron. They play the Chicago Blackhawks next in a home-and-home series on Saturday and Sunday.
— By Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff or email him at matthew.dolloff@bbgi.com.
