A Bruins team looking for its first regulation win in close to two weeks had plenty of positives to draw from 40 minutes of play against the Maple Leafs on Friday night.
A makeshift second line of David Krejci, Charlie Coyle and Anders Bjork combined for a 5v5 tally against Frederik Andersen in the opening stanza, while Tuukka Rask — tagged with an .868 save percentage over his previous three outings — stopped 23 of the 24 shots that came his way, the lone blemish being a deflection by Auston Matthews in front.
Above all, the Bruins had managed to enter the second intermission all even with their Original Six foe.
But for a B's club desperately trying to right the ship and stave off its first five-game losing streak since March 2016 — a 1-1 deadlock wasn't nearly good enough, especially after the Leafs out-attempted Boston, 31-15, during 5v5 play in the second stanza.
Before the Bruins returned to the ice at Scotiabank Arena, Bruce Cassidy opted to set aside his top forward trio of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak — a group "limited" to only four goals and seven total points over this four-game skid.
After failing to cash in against a Leafs' defense that has surrendered the fourth-most 5v5 hi-danger scoring chances this season, Cassidy opted to "tweak" his top line, as he put it.
What exactly did he mean by that?
"We just challenged a bit," Cassidy said postgame. "'Are we tired of losing?' Or 'Do we want to get playing the right way?' And I think they responded well."
Marchand, without a multi-point effort since Boston's last regulation win back on Nov. 4, clearly got the message.
Just 11 seconds after the puck dropped for the final period of play, the Bruins found themselves back in front— with an initial rush from Marchand capped off with the winger tapping the loose biscuit over Andersen's pads to make it a 2-1 game.
(Photo by Kevin Sousa/NHLI via Getty Images)
Bruins
How a mid-game ‘tweak’ from Bruce Cassidy helped Brad Marchand take over Friday’s game & end Bruins’ losing streak
"He really took it over in the third there," Rask said of Marchand. "He wanted to be the difference-maker."
“I think it’s a game that we get up for," Marchand said. "A lot of history with this team, especially the last few years. Definitely it adds to the games. We know that when we come in here, we’re gonna have to skate, we’re gonna have to compete and that’s what those guys do. They can all fly and they’re all talented. … We know that, so we have to make sure that we’re playing well and at the top of our game. If not, then they’re going to spank us."
John Tavares'
"Marchy's pretty dedicated to his craft, he's got the same linemates, chemistry – more and more, he's developing it with Pasta," Cassidy said. "He's always had it with Bergy. He's got a will to succeed. Win first and he wants to make his plays when he can. So I'm not surprised, he's still very fit for his age. I don't see a regression in his game at all. Hopefully not for a while."
"No - no," he said. "To be honest, I don’t really think about it."
Zdeno Chara
"That’s just because he knows I’ll come after him," he said with a smile.
Lanny McDonald,
“Fans just seemed so excited that I got it," Marchand said. "I thought they’d enjoy a little half-lap there. Showed it off and got lots of good cheers.
It was fun.”
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