Brad Marchand continues to provide heroics and this time it came with 22 seconds remaining in regulation and it led to a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers Thursday night at TD Garden. The majority of the game, from both teams, wasn't very entertaining, but the Bruins, like so many other times this season ended with a relentless attack en route to victory.
Pregame notes.
The Bruins will be without the services of Patrice Bergeron (foot), Charlie McAvoy (knee) and David Backes (suspension) when the team hosts the Philadelphia Flyers Thursday night at TD Garden.
With Backes out, Tommy Wingels will center the third line with Danton Heinen on the left and Brian Gionta on the right. Heinen will also replace Backes in bumper position on the power play. Cassidy hopes that giving Heinen more minutes will help regain his confidence.
"This could kickstart it," Cassidy said.
Masked men: After not playing the last two games due to a minor lower-body injury, Tuukka Rask will start tonight against the Flyers. It will be Rask's 43rd game and with 17 games remaining in the regular season, Cassidy will keep close tabs on the starting goalie to make sure his sharp and healthy for the playoffs.
At the start of the season, the original plan was for Rask to play between 55 and 60 games, with 58 being the target number. Since backup Anton Khudobin has played well, and due to a nagging injury for Rask, he should be able to reach that number of games played and not go over.
"We'll monitor it down the stretch, and make sure he gets enough work too, because he has had a little less than other years," Cassidy said. "That will be as much on him, talking to us about how he feels and then the urgency of the points at stake and where we are in the standings as we get closer to April."
Since the Flyers are in the midst of a four-game losing skid, and they're playing back-to-back games, it's likely that backup Alex Lyon will start against the Bruins. He's won his last two games and has a 2.88 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage in five games. He posted a 15-8-2 record, along with a 2.83 GAA and a .911 SP for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this season. Petr Mrazek has started the previous seven games for the Flyers and suffered a 5-2 loss to the Penguins on Wednesday night.
On the blue line: In an attempt to keep everyone on the roster game ready, Cassidy is shuffling his defensive pairs again for tonight's game. Nick Holden, who has played well the last three games, will be a healthy scratch and Adam McQuaid returns after sitting five of the last six games.
"We're trying to keep everyone involved," Cassidy said. "I liked Nick's game the other night and he's done a good job for us. Philadelphia's a bigger team, so it's a good matchup and Adam's sat a few games, so he'll go back in."
McQuaid took a puck to the face during the morning skate and was bleeding when he exited the ice. He needed some work done, but Cassidy believes the veteran defenseman will be ready to go.
"It was Backes, so we might add two games to his suspension," Cassidy said with a laugh.
What have you done lately: The Bruins are looking for their fifth consecutive win. The last time these teams played, Boston finished with a 3-0 win on Dec. 2. It was Philadelphia's 10th consecutive loss, but since then the Flyers are 26-10-4 and are fighting for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division.
Special teams: The Flyers enter tonight's game 1-for-19 on the power play in their last six games. The Bruins are 6-for-15 in the last three games.
Observations from the first period.
- Jake DeBrusk is going to have a big game. The rookie ebbs and flows are behind him and he's ready to break out.
- Brandon Carlo looks so much more comfortable playing again with Zdeno Chara.
- It's a tough call but by the book it's a high-sticking penalty on Kevan Miller. Going off for four minutes. Flyers power play has been awful of late.
- And it takes only nine seconds for the Flyers to take a 1-0 lead on a power-play goal.
- Rask is getting peppered. Defense needs to settle down.
- Rick Nash draws a penalty and the Bruins getting their first power play of the game. Boston is 6-for-15 in its last three games on the man-advangate.
- That goal was all Matt Grzelcyk. Riley Nash pokes it in to tie the game at 1-1.
- Noel Acciari has a lot more jump tonight. He's been batting a lower-body injury of late. He was a healthy scratch the last game.
- With 25.3 seconds remaining Brian Gionta scores on a breakaway to give the Bruins a 2-1 lead. That's his first as a Bruin.
- Only 30 seconds into the second period and Torey Krug is called for holding.
- Boston kills it.
- Heinen going to get a power-play goal tonight.
- Maybe not as the Flyers score a shorthanded goal to tie the game at 2-2.
- Last few shifts Heinen has played with Krejci and Nash.
- Which means DeBrusk is with Gionta and Wingels.
- Let's hope this is a better all-around period than the last.
- With the way the Bruins are playing tonight, a power-play goal here would be crucial.
- David Pastrnak's been offside a couple of times tonight. That's unlike him.
- And everybody was offside on that play. Geez.
- Solid sustained pressure in the O-zone for the Bruins. Nothing to show for it. Flyers are playing the second of a back-to-back, so Boston needs to take advantage of that late this period.
- Pastrnak is trying to shoot the puck more, which is good. Less cuteness.
- With 6:39 remaining in regulation and the game tied at 2-2, Marchand called for hooking.
- Bruins kill it off.
- What a scramble and the Bruins gain a 3-2 lead with 22 seconds remaining. I believe it was Marchand with the goal.