Marchand Shines Again as B's Rout Canadiens

BOSTON - As he met with the media on Wednesday morning to discuss the vicious high stick he took across the nose two nights earlier in Washington, Brad Marchand was relieved to have avoided any major damage. A few stitches, a broken nose, and a nasty shiner under his left eye were manageable just as long as his teeth remained intact.
After all, the winger usually has plenty of smiling to do - and that was no different against the rival Montreal Canadiens. Marchand tallied his fifth career hat trick and his third straight multi-goal game to pace the Bruins to a 5-1 victory over the Habs at TD Garden.

The Black & Gold's leading scorer - now with 39 points (19 goals, 20 assists) in 28 games this season - became just the sixth player in Bruins history with more than one goal in three consecutive contests, joining Phil Esposito (five times), Cam Neely, Dit Clapper, Carson Cooper, and longtime linemate Patrice Bergeron, who assisted on two of the tallies.
Marchand started the scoring when he charged hard to the net and tapped in a Tomas Nosek feed from the top of the crease with 5:17 remaining in the first period. Just 15 seconds later, Marchand was it again in front of the net as he whacked home a bouncing puck to put Boston up, 2-0. It marked the fastest two goals by a Bruin since Nov. 28, 2010, when Milan Lucic also potted a pair 15 seconds apart.
The 33-year-old capped his hat trick at 7:10 of the second when he, once again, rushed the net and buried a John Moore rebound off a shorthanded break with Bergeron.
"I think as a group we've all been focusing on it more recently," Marchand, who now has 33 career shorthanded goals, said of going hard to the net. "It's something that we've had to add to our game. We were getting a lot of shots early on in the season; I think we were one of the top teams getting shots on net. A majority of goals in this league are scored from there.
"So, we had to get some more guys in front, get rebounds there, get in front of the net, and focus a little bit more on being around there. Our group's been doing that since the break's been over, and I think it's really paying off for us right now. We have to keep that going."

The Bruins have now won six of seven since returning from a COVID-19 forced the team to pause activities ahead of an extended Christmas break that lasted roughly 10 days. And in those six victories, Boston has tallied five or more goals five times, which has led to two separate three-game winning streaks.
"It's tough to score five goals every night in this league. Nobody does, but we shouldn't be around two either. We should be somewhere in between," said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy, whose club was kicking off a season-high seven-game homestand. "Obviously, nights you're going to run into a hot goaltender. I think at the start of the year, we'd walk out of here or walk out of a game on the road, and their goalie would be first star. That hasn't happened as much lately.
"Some of that is on us taking advantage of our opportunities, hitting the net more, putting more pressure on the goaltender…I do believe this is closer to who we are in terms of our pace of play. At the start of the year, we weren't playing as fast with the puck. We weren't supporting as well. Some of that is new people in a new system. Some of that is us making sure we're reinforcing to the players what we're looking for. Some of it is just getting into the rhythm of the game, getting some results."

Lazar Lights It Up

Curtis Lazar had a pretty good showing during the B's 5-1 dispatch of the Canadiens. The forward secured his second multi-point game of the season and continued a strong stretch since the Bruins returned from their COVID-19 pause.
But the 26-year-old's night got even better after the game. With a goal and an assist already to his name, Lazar was awarded another goal when Urho Vaakanainen's third-period tally - which would have been his first career marker - was changed after it was determined that the puck deflected off of Lazar.
As such, Lazar finished the night with the first two-goal game of his Bruins career and was named the game's No. 2 star. He now has six points (three goals, three assists) in his last four games, including both of his multi-point outings.
"Honestly I feel healthy and rested," said Lazar, who spent time in COVID-19 protocol before Christmas. "The break did wonders for me health-wise, getting my energy, getting my legs, just kind of seeing the game differently, seeing my plays, getting strong on the puck. It's nice to get rewarded for those chances.
"You guys know me. I'm the kind of player who plays hard both ways and hopes for the best. I'm not gonna reinvent the wheel out there, so as long as I'm playing the right way I know I'm gonna be good."

Both of Lazar's goals were the result of his dogged net-front presence. The first came with 50 seconds left in the opening period when Jake DeBrusk's shot from the right-wing boards deflected off Lazar's skate on the doorstep, while the second came when Vaakanainen's shot redirected off Lazar's body in the slot.
"It's tough ice to get to for sure, but you can't be denied," said Lazar. "Sometimes it's gonna go off me. I don't think there is a goalie in the world that enjoys trying to track a puck through a screen or a net front presence. It's the hard ice for a reason because its gonna create scoring chances. You try to get there and do your job and try to compete and win that battle."
Lazar's fourth-line mates, Tomas Nosek and Anton Blidh, also picked up an assist apiece as they continue impressive stretches of their own. Blidh, fresh off his first career multi-point game in Washington on Monday night, now has a three-game point streak (goal, three assists).
"The chemistry is noticeable with the three guys," said Lazar. "I think we're just understanding our role and being strong on the forecheck. That's the majority of chances that our offense is coming from. Even if we're blocking in front of the net or turning pucks over, we're changing the momentum of the game. We're on a bit of a hot streak right now so we hope to continue it."
Nosek, meanwhile, returned to the lineup after missing three games while in COVID-19 protocol and delivered a slick cross-ice feed to Marchand on the winger's first goal of the night. The centerman also has a three-game point streak (goal, three assists).
"When you look at all the good teams around the league, they have the depth and they have the depth scoring and guys creating energy," said Marchand. "We don't expect every guy to score every night throughout our lineup, but you have to bring something to the table that's gonna help the team win - whether that's puck battles or blocking shots or winning battles, being hard on the other team, being physical. Whatever it is, you have to bring something. Most guys do that every night."
Marchand believes the fourth line - and Blidh, in particular - helped set the tone early in the first period with their rough-and-tumble style.
"Blidh changed the game for our group tonight," said Marchand. "He went out and hit a couple guys hard and drew a penalty and changed the whole momentum of the game. That's what good teams have, and we're finding that guys are buying into their roles and really taking control of them. We're relying on different lines every night to create momentum for our group or takeover a game, and their line did that tonight.
"Blidh had that great shift for us and then Nosey and Lazar made a huge play on that first goal and Lazar got another one later on. They were just great all night. It's great to see and need it to continue, but again the teams that go far in the playoffs and have big years and win the cup are the teams that are deep at every line and all the people are contributing."

Rask to Return

Cassidy confirmed postgame that Tuukka Rask - who backed up on Wednesday night - will make his season debut on Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers. The B's all-time winningest goalie signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the club on Tuesday after working his way back from offseason hip surgery.
"We know that he hasn't played in months. He's told us he's ready to go, and I believe it," said Cassidy. "He looks great in practice. There's going to be the usual stuff in your first game. There's going to be a little bit of rust he'll have to shake off in certain areas of the game, and hopefully we play well in front of him, allow him to get through that."
Cassidy added that he believes the addition of one of the league's top goaltenders over the last decade could give the Bruins even more of a jolt.
"The guys believe Tuukka is an elite goaltender," said Cassidy. "They truly believe that in the room, and they're happy to have him back. The guys are happy to have Tuukka back. He's been here his whole career basically. He's grown up, as he said, with some of these players in this room. Not all of them, but a lot of them. He has played against a lot of them. They respect how good he is. I have known Tuukka since his second year pro. So, the staff has worked with him. Goalie Bob has had him since the inception.
"There's a lot of guys he's formed bonds with, and he wants to go out and win with those teammates. So, yeah, I do believe there is a certain electricity, a certain buzz. We'll see where it leads. Whether he pitches a shutout tomorrow or is average, we're not going to judge him on one game.
"We feel he is going to make us better at that position…that's why the decision was made, and let's go."

Boston was Buzzing

The Bruins weren't the only ones to put forth a stellar effort on Wednesday night. Despite a change in the schedule moving the game up roughly two months, TD Garden was packed and pumped for a showdown with the rival Canadiens.
Some rough stuff throughout and another high-octane offensive output from the B's left the barn rocking for much of the night, creating an atmosphere not seen since the Black & Gold's Game 1 matchup against the Islanders last spring when the building was allowed to return to full capacity for the first time since the start of the pandemic.
"It was tremendous, I loved it," said Linus Ullmark, who picked up 24 saves in the victory. "From start to finish I thought the crowd kept us going through the whole game. So, great job out there."