Bruins bounce back with win over Canucks
Winless and outscored 13-2 through the first two games of their Western road swing, the Bruins bounced back in the best way possible Saturday night in Vancouver, with goals from five different scorers in a blowout victory over the Canucks.
“I thought it was just a solid team effort,” Bruins interim head coach Joe Sacco said after the victory. “Everybody contributed in their own way, and it started with our leaders and our top players. They certainly set the example for how we want to play.”
The Bruins started this one as loud as they could have, too, with a Brad Marchand power-play goal that came amidst thunderous boos from the Vancouver crowd that’s reminded Marchand just how much they despise him every time the Bruins have visited town since winning the Stanley Cup in 2011.
Beyond the obvious of the Black and Gold’s league-worst power play getting on the board with a goal, the sequence featured some undeniable positives from the B’s top unit. Chief among them was the fact that they sought out the odd-man situation in a high-danger area, and then utilized Elias Lindholm as more than a bumper decoy of sorts to feed Marchand for the game-opening tally.
And from there, the Bruins were off to the races.
Morgan Geekie doubled Boston’s lead just 2:56 after the Marchand goal, and with goals from Pavel Zacha and Marc McLaughlin in the second period, the Bruins had a 4-0 lead through 40 minutes of play.
And just for an exclamation point of sorts, the Bruins got their fifth and final goal of the beatdown just 26 seconds into the third period behind a wraparound marker from David Pastrnak.
It was the fourth point of the night from Pastrnak, who finished the night with one goal and three helpers, and also collected his 400th career assist along the way.
In goal, the Bruins’ Jeremy Swayman turned aside 19 of 20 shots faced for a bounce-back victory in his own right after surrendering eight goals in last Tuesday’s loss to the Jets. It was a relatively light night for Swayman, but Boston’s ace did have to come through with some big stops in the second period, as Vancouver came through with a 12-shot middle frame that left them straight-up defeated.
For the Bruins, it was their first win over a team currently inside the playoff structure since their Oct. 26 win over the Maple Leafs back at TD Garden, ending a stretch that saw them go 0-5-1 against current playoff teams.
The Bruins will get back to work Tuesday night in Calgary.
3 Stars: Bruins get back on track with big night in Vancouver
Third Star: Brad Marchand
Dec 14, 2024; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko (35) reacts as Bruins forwards Brad Marchand (63) and Pavel Zacha (18) celebrate Marchand’s goal during the first period at Rogers Arena. (Bob Frid-Imagn Images)
Bruins captain Brad Marchand feeds off boos. Unfortunately for the locals, those in Vancouver missed that memo, and their jeering of Marchand proved to be the perfect intro to Marchand’s game-opening power-play marker against the hometown team early into Saturday’s contest.
Marchand’s goal continued what’s been a hot stretch for No. 63, with goals in four of his last five games, and five goals in total over that span. Overall, Marchand has eight goals and 11 points in 12 games since the Black and Gold made the switch from Jim Montgomery to interim head coach Joe Sacco, and the Bruins are 5-1-0 over that 12-game sample when Marchand scores at least one goal.
Second Star: Pavel Zacha
Dec 14, 2024; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Boston Bruins forward Pavel Zacha (18) skates against the Vancouver Canucks during the third period at Rogers Arena. (Bob Frid/Imagn Images)
Deployed for 19:12 of action in this contest, Pavel Zacha got himself back on the board after two straight quiet nights, with one goal and three points for the Black and Gold. With points in all three periods, too, Zacha certainly made the most of his night, and was a thorn in the Canucks’ sides seemingly every time he was out there.
The Bruins are now 3-0-0 this season when Zacha has a multi-point effort, and going back to the start of the 2022-23 season, the Bruins are now 26-1-1 when Zacha records at least two points.
First Star: David Pastrnak
Dec 14, 2024; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak (88) during a stop in play against the Vancouver Canucks in the third period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid/Imagn Images
For the Bruins to be the best version of themselves, they need David Pastrnak to produce at a Hart Trophy-level. Pastrnak did that in 2022-23, and did it again last season. But this year? Ehhhhh, it’s been a little hit and miss, with some notable ‘takeover’ performances coming with that Oct. 26 win over Toronto and that comeback victory in St. Louis, but other nights coming with you going, “Man, Pastrnak needs to do more.”
Well, No. 88 did it all Saturday in Vancouver, with a goal and three assists in the B’s victory. (And for Pastrnak, the assist on the Zacha tally in the second period was the 400th of his NHL career.)
Overall, the four-point outing was Pastrnak’s first four-point outing of the season, and was actually his first since Apr. 9, 2023 against the Flyers.
