The Boston Bruins can never be counted out, or taken for granted. Under interim coach Joe Sacco, the Bruins have shown their trademark relentlessness and grit. After a come-from-behind triumph against the Calgary Flames, captain Brad Marchand sent his teammates a strong statement and reminder for the rest of the NHL season.
Marchand has earned the ‘C’ in Beantown. The 36-year-old has become a staple of the organization, both on the ice and off it. In his second season as team captain, Marchand has been a vocal leader for Boston. He is not afraid to speak his mind after the Bruins’ outings.
On Tuesday night, the Bruins escaped with a pivotal win over the Flames. Boston trailed 3-1 going into the third period, but managed to send the game to overtime. In sudden-death extra time, David Pastrnak scored the game-winning-goal with 38 seconds left.
Following the Bruins’ comeback triumph, Marchand issued a powerful comment to his teammates.
“A period is a long time in this league, and confidence and belief is dangerous,” Marchand stated, per NESN. “If you have that, then you can make it happen. It felt like we still had a ton of confidence that we had the ability to come back.”
Marchand praises team’s effort
One doesn’t play over 15 seasons in the NHL without mastering tactics and understanding the ‘dos and don’ts’ of such a competitive environment. Marchand has praised the team’s recent performances and believes the positive results are not coincidental, but the result of hard work.
“We’re playing direct,” Marchand stated. “When you do that, you create havoc, and that’s when the seams open up and the other plays and the slot chances. We’re doing a much better job at kind of playing to our strength.”
The Bruins’ leaders stand up
The Bruins have been phenomenal since Joe Sacco’s appointment and boast a 7-3-0 record over their last ten games. The household names in the roster have stepped up since Jim Montgomery’s firing and are leading the way for Boston.
David Pastrnak scored the overtime winner against Calgary with less than a minute left, in an instance where many players may give up on the play and gear up for a shootout. After his agonizing snipe, Pastrnak sent the team a strong reminder.
“You play until the last whistle every single game,” Pastrnak stated, per NHL.com. “We obviously went through some hard times already during the season so it’s important to show that we can learn and we’re not going to give up and we’re going to fight.”