Marchand, B’s prevail
OT winner welcome change
The Bruins’ scoring drought ended with a bang.
Brad Marchand lit the lamp with 31 seconds left in overtime on a two-man advantage to give the B’s a 2-1 win against Dallas last night at the Garden.
“When I got in the zone, I saw there was only 35 seconds left,” Marchand said. “I was trying to get it to the net. I was looking for the back door from (Patrice Bergeron), and they were sitting on it, so I got a pretty good shot.”
It was just the second time the Bruins scored more than a single goal in a game since a 3-1 win against Philadelphia on Oct. 25. They were shut out in two of their previous three games, including Saturday night in Nashville.
“It’s coming,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. “That’s the way I look at it. Usually it takes a game or two before the floodgates open. We hope, and I’m an optimist, that it’s Thursday.”
The Bruins earned a manadvantage with 1:44 left in the extra period after the Stars had too many men on the ice. Moments later, Esa Lindell was sent off for boarding to give the Bruins a late 5-on-3.
It was the B’s third overtime contest after dropping decisions in Vancouver and Edmonton in back-to-back games during their western Canada swing.
The scoring didn’t start out in the Bruins’ favor.
Radek Faksa flicked a shot on net that snuck through Tuukka Rask far-side to give the Stars a 1-0 lead while shorthanded at the 16:08 mark. It was the second shorthanded goal the Bruins allowed this season.
It was the sixth instance of Rask allowing a goal within the first half of the opening period.
“Torey (Krug) said it dipped a little,” Rask said. “Tough first period. But we battled back and I thought we played a very solid game.”
The Bruins responded with five shots on the power play, ending with a David Pastrnak quick shot for his 12th goal at 14:49 and a tie game.
It appeared Anders Bjork had snapped the single-goal streak with just more than two minutes left in the second. The winger tucked in a loose puck that caromed off the pads of Anton Khudobin, but the officials blew the whistle early and the goal was called back.
“It was kind of a split-second thing,” Bjork said. “The ref ’s doing his job. Maybe a quick whistle, but it happens, it’s unfortunate.”
After the Bruins’ power play in the first period, it took until 8:45 left in the contest for the next infraction. Krug was sent off for boarding.
Despite several near misses, including big rebounds left in front of the crease by Rask, the Bruins killed it off.
The B’s hit the post four times, with Bergeron, Sean Kuraly, Noel Acciari, and Krug getting prime scoring chances negated.
Both teams volleyed chances before needing the extra frame to decide the result.
Marchand was open along the right side of the goal line and banked it in for the win.
“Earlier in the game I was in the same position and tried to go high glove,” he said. “(Khudobin) was sitting there, so I figured I’d try to go opposite side, I thought between the second and third.”
Rask made 34 saves. Former Bruins backup Khudobin made 23 on the opposite side of the ice.
The Bruins’ four-game homestand continues Thursday against the Canucks before Toronto and Vegas come to town during the weekend.
With another win on home ice in their back pocket, maybe it will open those floodgates.
“There’s going to be offense sooner or later,” Cassidy said. “They’re just proven in this league. Some of it has to do with puckmoving defensemen out of our lineup. ...
That’s our approach right now.”