Marchand nets game-winner in final minute as Bruins edge Flyers
Brad Marchand scored his team-leading 29th goal with 22 seconds remaining in the third period to send the Boston Bruins past the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Thursday night in Boston.
Marchand's poked home a loose puck after David Pastrnak had thrown it on net in front of the crease. The goal was reviewed by NHL officials in Toronto for goaltender interference, but the call was upheld.
Riley Nash (13 goals) and Brian Gionta (1) each had goals as Boston stretched its winning streak to five games. Tuukka Rask made 31 saves in his return for the Bruins after missing the previous two games with a minor injury.
Jakub Voracek (16) and Jori Lehtera (3) both lit the lamp for Philadelphia, which lost its fifth straight game following its season-high-tying six-game win streak. Flyers goaltender Alex Lyon made 24 saves in defeat.
Boston's David Backes served the first game of his three-game suspension for his hit against Detroit's Frans Nielsen in Tuesday's 6-5 OT win. Nielsen exited the game and Backes received a roughing minor.
Patrice Bergeron (fractured right foot) missed his fourth consecutive game for the Bruins and Charlie McAvoy (sprained left MCL) sat out his second straight.
The Bruins won 3-0 in Philadelphia when the teams first met on Dec. 2, sending the Flyers to a franchise-record-tying 10th straight loss. The three-game season series concludes on April 1 in Philadelphia.
Voracek's power-play goal with 18:22 remaining in the first period opened the scoring as his one-timer off a between-the-legs pass in traffic from Nolan Patrick beat Rask glove-side. Claude Giroux picked up his NHL-leading 57th assist with a secondary helper on the goal.
Nash tied it at 1 after popping in the rebound of Pastrnak's wraparound attempt with 10:46 to play in the first. Gionta's first goal as a Bruin gave them the lead, as the former U.S. Olympic captain and Boston College standout scored on a breakaway with 25.3 seconds left in the first.
Lehtera's shorthanded goal with 12:39 left in the second tied it at 2 after he collected a feed from Valtteri Filppula in the right circle and tucked it between Rask's legs.
Boston completes its six-game homestand Saturday vs. Chicago. Philadelphia returns home for three straight, starting Saturday against Winnipeg.
--Field Level Media
