The Boston Bruins defeated the NHL‘s bottom-feeders, San Jose Sharks 6-3, although the final scoreline doesn’t reflect how close the game truly was for the B’s. Boston found itself in a back-and-forth tug-of-war with San Jose before finally pulling away late in the final frame, thanks to two empty-net goals. After the win, Joe Sacco delivered a powerful reminder to Brad Marchand and the rest of the Bruins about the importance of supporting leading goal-scorer David Pastrnak.
The Bruins proved they can hold on to a close lead late in the game as they held off the Sharks during their 6-3 triumph on Monday’s noon. After a frustrating defeat to the Ottawa Senators, Boston got back in the win column, and will look to extend its point streak to five games when they take on the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night.
However, Sacco is not satisfied with only star David Pastrnak contributing the goals for the team, and as Charlie Coyle scored a brace during the win over San Jose, Boston’s interim coach sent Marchand and the rest of the players a powerful wake up call.
“We need secondary scoring,” Sacco stated, per NHL.com. “We need other guys to chip in when they can, and it’s important. ‘Pasta’ is always going to get his looks, and sometimes he’s going to get shut down, but it’s good for our whole mindset of our group that we get some other guys on the scoreboard.
David Pastrnak #88 of the Boston Bruins smiles during warmups of the game against the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center on October 31, 2024 in Raleigh, North Carolina.
“They want to produce, they want to help the team. It’s important for our team moving forward. We have to have balance in our lineup scoring.”
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NHL News: Brad Marchand makes something clear to interim coach Joe Sacco after Bruins' loss
Pasta, better served hot
David Pastrnak is on a tear right now in the NHL, registering a four-game point streak and tallying 11 points over that stretch. The Czech forward continues to do it all—and then some—for Sacco’s lineup night in and night out.
Throughout the season, Pastrnak leads Boston in goals, assists, and points with a remarkable amount of 22 goals, 31 assists, and 53 points in 48 games played.
Korpisalo back in net
Joonas Korpisalo manned the crease for the Bruins against the Sharks. It was his first start since January 5th matchup with the New York Islanders. Boston made the task a bit easier for Korpisalo, as opposed to Jeremy Swayman who had faced over 40 shots on goal in consecutive outings.
Brad Marchand #63 of the Boston Bruins speaks with the media during 2017 NHL All-Star Media Day as part of the 2017 NHL All-Star Weekend at the JW Marriott on January 28, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.
After the game, in which Korpisalo registered 25 saves, Sacco had high praise for the backup goaltender in Beantown.
see also
NHL News: Bruins star David Pastrnak sends harsh wake up call to Brad Marchand, Joe Sacco after loss
“He made some huge saves in the third period,” Sacco said of Korpisalo. “He kept us in the game. He has not played in a while, so in fairness, you’re trying to find your timing, you find you’re fighting pucks through traffic, and it’s not the same as in practice. I really credit him for his perseverance today. He dug in there, especially at the end and kept us in the game and allowed us to come back in the third period.”
