Review: Marchand gives the Bruins a 4-3 OT victory over the Maple Leafs

Brad Marchand's first goal of the season came just in time to help the Boston Bruins to a 4-3 overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at TD Garden on Saturday night, ending the team's losing streak.

“It was nice for the group to be rewarded for playing the right way,” Marchand said.

The Bruins outscored the Maple Leafs 34 to 23 and, in addition to Marchand's OT heroics, got a power play goal from David Pastrnak and two even goals from the “bottom six” forwards.

Despite a good start with pucks in the net in the first period and limited opportunities for Toronto, the game remained scoreless after the first period.

The Bruins and Maple Leafs then endured a back-and-forth second period that was all about to end when Toronto scored 35 seconds into the period.

But the Bruins stuck to the details, stayed outside the penalty box (mostly) and recovered twice in the half to tie the game and ultimately take the lead. Justin Brazeau and Mark Kastelic got the Bruins going by finding the net and scoring twice in a 36-second span.

The B's took scoring opportunities away from Toronto for most of the third period as they tried to secure the win. But Auston Matthews stood alone at the top in the final minutes to give the Maple Leafs some hope and tie the game.

However, a turnover by Matthews in OT led to Marchand's backhand ending the game and giving the Bruins a much-needed win.

Here are the highlights of the game!

First period:

Goalless

The shots were 10-5 Bruins

Second period:

Auston Matthews made a short pass to Matthew Knies in the slot, where he fired a wrist shot past Jeremy Swayman's stick 35 seconds into the second period. 1-0 Maple Leafs.

On the power play, Brad Marchand found David Pastrnak in the left circle, who fired a quick snap shot just past Stolarz's blocker at 2:57 of the second period. 1:1 game.

Mitch Marner made a pass to Morgan Rielly, who circled the top of the right circle and quickly scored past Swayman's right shoulder at 7:44 of the second period. 2-1 Maple Leafs.

After attempts by Matt Poitras and Trent Frederic, Justin Brazeau found the loose rebound as he crashed the net for a wrist shot from the top past the glove of Stolarz at 13:28 of the second period. 2:2 game.

With a clean entry after the rush, Mark Kastelic tipped in a pass from Johnny Beecher for a low hit to Stolarz at 13:14 of the second period. 3-2 Bruins.

Third period:

After Stolarz was blocked, Marner put a shot on net that Matthews deflected past Swayman to tie the game late at 18:43 of the third period. 3-3 game.

Over time:

Pastrnak took advantage of a Matthews loss of the ball to pass Stolarz, then outwit him and pass to Marchand. In the game, Marchand found the loose puck off his own rebound to put a backhander into the net at 2:26 OT. Final result: 4-3 Bruins.

Game notes:

• One game at a time, but the win was a huge improvement over the last few games. The Bruins looked better on the rush and had more clean runs in the offensive zone. They took fewer penalties (three tonight) and tried hard.
• “Things don’t change overnight,” Jim Montgomery said after the game. However, he added that since the game against Utah, they have emphasized taking fewer penalties and managing the puck better. He also felt the team was relaxed during the morning skate, and that carried over into game time.
• Marchand said after the game that the team didn't fall into the bad habit of falling behind or letting Toronto tie the game late. He said they played the right game and it paid off. “It’s one game, it’s not going to change things completely,” Marchand said. “But it’s a great opportunity for us to realize that we’re a good team when we play the right way.”
• Brazeau is looking more and more like his 2023-24 season-ending/playoff self, which earned him a spot on the team. Tonight he was the strong man in front of the net and was rewarded for it. Brazeau finished the night with three shots on goal. Montgomery said after the game that Brazeau was regaining his confidence. “He understands the details in all three zones,” Montgomery said.
• Midway through the game, Montgomery switched lines again, moving around Morgan Geekie and Matt Poitras. One line he didn't touch was the fourth line, and once again they came through when needed.
• After the game, Marchand talked about how the “bottom six” forwards are actually the Bruins’ top six forwards right now. He said they're dropping pucks and competing the right way.
• If there are a few things to work on: It was a little disappointing that the Bruins couldn't close out the game in regulation time after a strong third period to keep the lead. The four-minute power play was a missed opportunity as it resulted in few chances.
• The Bruins will face the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday, October 29th at TD Garden at 7 p.m.