OK, so the Boston Bruins didn’t play very well in California. Didn’t play well and didn’t get the results in what is arguably the most difficult tour on the NHL schedule.
But then they head to Arizona, home of the currently struggling Coyotes, and come away with a convincing 5-2 victory on Saturday, salvaging two of a possible eight points on this four game West Coast swing that saw them lose in Anaheim, L.A., and San Jose.
Brad Marchand scored twice in the win over the Coyotes and is now up 100 NHL goals for his career. It was an important win for Boston, which keeps pace with the Toronto Maple Leafs, also victorious on Saturday, in the Atlantic Division.
“There were two desperate teams here tonight (and) somebody had to be hungrier than the other, and it was nice to see that it was us,” said Bruins’ head coach Claude Julien, as per the club’s Twitter account.
Marchand: "it was great that the guys took it upon themselves to go out and play the way we had to" ^CS
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) December 7, 2014