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 "When bounces are going your way you get more confidence. I think
that's all that it is," the Boston Bruins left winger said after
scoring two goals, including the winner with 11:07 left, to give his
team a tight-checking, 3-2 holiday matinee victory over the Los
Angeles Kings on Monday.
"I know I didn't feel real confident in anything I was doing. Now it
seems to be there, so hopefully it will continue."
Marchand scored one goal in the first 14 games of the season, two in
the first 18, sparking media speculation he might be on the trade
block.
The speculation has stopped.
Marchand has scored in four consecutive games, collecting six goals
in that span. He scored twice and added the only Boston shootout
goal in a 3-2 loss to the Blackhawks in Chicago on Sunday, and he
now has 16 for the season, 11 in the past 15 games.
"It's great to see," said Marchand's center, Patrice Bergeron, who
assisted on both of his linemate's goals Monday. "I think he's been
doing that for quite some time now.
"He's been playing better and better, but right now he's playing his
best hockey. He's got a lot of confidence, a lot of jump, he's
creating a lot of chances for us as a line. We're feeding off of him
and we're trying to create some plays by moving, by getting open,
and it's working."
Reilly Smith, the right winger on the Marchand's line, made the pass
for Marchand's winner, just 18 seconds Kings after center Jeff
Carter tied the game with a power-play goal, his 19th tally of the
season.
"It's nice that the pucks are going in," Marchand said. "I'm playing
with Bergy and Smitty, two phenomenal playmakers, and they're making
it easy for me out there."
Marchand's first goal was his league-best fourth short-handed tally
of the season, the seventh by the Bruins, second best in the league.
He ended his day by clearing the puck out of his own zone and
drawing a tripping penalty with 44.9 seconds left, and the Bruins
survived the defensive battle between the two stingiest teams in the
NHL.
Bruins backup goalie Chad Johnson stopped only 21 shots as Boston
avenged a Jan. 9 loss to the Kings on the West Coast.
Defenseman Torey Krug scored his 11th goal of the season, Boston's
second power-play goal in its past nine games.
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Carter scored the 12th power-play goal allowed by Boston in
the past 10 games, and Kings defenseman Willie Mitchell scored
his first of the season.
Los Angeles goaltender Jonathan Quick, a University of
Massachusetts product, made a few key stops but suffered the
loss. He finished with 20 saves.
"It wasn't his fault," Kings center Anze Kopitar said of Quick.
"We gave up a short-handed goal and gave up a power-play goal. I
don't think there was any connection to Quick back there."
In the first period, Marchand got a pass from Bergeron out of
the defense zone and moved in one-on-one against defenseman Drew
Doughty. He beat Doughty, who dropped his stick, which connected
with the puck. Marchand picked the puck up, moved around Kopitar
in tight, and with five Kings players, counting Quick, around
the net, made it 1-0 after 12:07.
"It was a nice move that shouldn't have happened," Kopitar said.
Krug, who took some tough hits earlier in the period, one from
center Jordan Nolan that led to Bruins left winger Milan Lucic
fighting Nolan, took a pass from center David Krejci, and with
defenseman Zdeno Chara as the screen, blasted one through Quick
from a sharp angle at 17:51 of the opening period.
The Kings killed 22 of their previous 23 penalties before Krug
scored.
In the second period, after killing a penalty to Mitchell, the
Kings started buzzing, and it paid off when center Mike Richards
hit Mitchell cruising down the slot for the goal at 4:09.
NOTES: Bruins D Adam McQuaid missed the game, the 18th he missed
in the past 34, due to a leg injury. D Zach Trotman was summoned
from AHL Providence. ... The Kings played the third game of a
five-game road trip that ends in Anaheim, Calif. Then, Los
Angeles "hosts" the Ducks on Saturday at Dodger Stadium. ... The
Bruins are off until they visit the Philadelphia Flyers on
Saturday. ... Ten of the past 20 games between the Kings and
Bruins went into overtime. ... The Kings outscored their
opposition 83-59 in the past 35 games, going 20-9-6 over that
span. ... The Bruins are 7-3 against the Pacific Division.
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