Bruins Return Home with Win Over Ottawa

BOSTON - Jim Montgomery wanted to get the Bruins on the same page.
With nearly a minute of 5-on-3 power-play time on the clock and Boston trailing the Senators by a goal, the B's bench boss saw an opportunity to corral his top PP unit and try to take advantage, despite it being only midway through the first period.

"[The Senators] kill a little bit differently on the 5-on-3. Instead of running more of an offset box, we were going to go to an umbrella, and we hadn't talked about it in a while," said Montgomery, who opted to utilize his timeout with the Bruins set to have 57 seconds of a two-man advantage.
The maneuver paid off as David Krejci struck roughly 30 seconds later to tie the game when he whacked home a Hampus Lindholm rebound from the side of the net.
"I wanted to make sure that we got good looks," said Montgomery, "and we did get good looks. It was a real good, important goal by Krejci."
Just 4:19 later, Jake DeBrusk scored on a dazzling move after taking a terrific feed from Brad Marchand to give the Bruins a lead they would secure for the rest of the night in a 2-1 victory over the Senators at TD Garden.
"That commitment to blocking shots, playing hard for the guys next to you and not for yourself," Montgomery said of the Bruins' effort in their first game back from a lengthy five-game road trip. "It's part of the culture here and I sound like a broken record, but those guys in that locker room play the right way and they get rewarded for it and that's why we're having the record we have."

The eventual winning goal was a thing of beauty. Marchand skated into the Ottawa end and pulled up just inside the blue line where he delivered a sauce feed through the slot - and traffic - that landed directly on DeBrusk's tape.
DeBrusk, without stopping his stride, pulled the puck to his backhand and tucked one by Ottawa goalie Mads Sogaard for his 23rd of the season - four shy of matching his career high - and a 2-1 Boston lead with 4:08 remaining in the first period.
"It was all world," DeBrusk said of Marchand's feed. "It's one of those things where I saw him and I'm just trying to get open. He flew through a couple guys for a breakaway, so obviously it was one of those passes where, as you can tell by my reaction, I didn't know what to do. It was one of those passes where it was just all world, and I was happy to finish it for him."
Marchand credited Patrice Bergeron for his net drive, which drew attention to the centerman in the middle of the slot and opened up a lane for the dish to DeBrusk.
"At this level and this league, it's the little details that really go a long way," said Marchand. "And the fact that he just drove through the middle, middle lane, pulled that D back, opened up that seam to Jake…because that D was occupied with Bergy, had a stick in the air trying to push him, it allowed Jake to kind of get in the back door and those are the things that he does that sometimes goes unnoticed.
"That's part of what makes him such a special player is he's so detailed all over the ice and that's another example. If he decided to come above me even and go for a drop pass, like a lot of guys, that lane's not there to Jake. Another prime example of why he's the best."
DeBrusk added that because of the high rate of speed at which he was heading to the net, he didn't have much time to contemplate what he wanted to do with the puck, which ultimately worked in his favor.
"It's more so just instincts, honestly, and just about the speed I was coming with," said DeBrusk. "I knew he was a big guy and had long legs, so it was one of those risky ones where I don't think I've ever scored a goal like that. Usually, I like to tuck a five-hole, honestly."

The winger has now scored in three straight games and four of his last six after a stretch of seven straight without a goal, which followed a span of goals in three consecutive games upon his return from a six-week absence due to injury.
"I've had great passes, as you saw tonight, and I think last game [Charlie Coyle] gave me a back door, and then Bergy fed me... I had a similar one today as well," said DeBrusk. "I think it was just great passes from my linemates, honestly. Just trying to get to the net.
"There was a little stretch there where I think it was just kind of the reality of me coming back from an injury, kind of being too hard on myself, and also at the same time limiting what I do well. I'm just trying to get my feet moving and go to the hard areas."
Marchand, meanwhile, is playing some of his best hockey of the season. He has registered a point in three straight games, compiling six assists over that span, as he continues to build his game back up following offseason hip surgery.
"I think he's found his groove here and he's making a lot of plays again, which is great to see," said Montgomery. "Just the way he's attacking defensemen's feet, pulling up, reading off of their joints. If their ankles or knees are turned one way, he's going the other way.
"And then I love the way that JD drove the weakside post, and what a great pass. Those are really quick hands to make that move in tight like that by JD."
Marchand, though, does not believe he is quite up to his standard, despite having compiled 62 points (20 goals, 42 assists) in 62 games.
"I wouldn't say I am [there] yet, but definitely feel better about your game when you're getting bounces," he said. "It's frustrating, especially that's part of my game, I'm expected to produce. I put a lot of pressure on myself to do that. I think that the better condition that I feel, the more I move my feet, I think that more things open up.
"As a line, especially, when we're all moving and supporting each other we seem to play well…when one or two guys are feeling good then we all kind of feed off that and right now I think we're all feeling pretty good confidence wise.
"It's such a powerful thing in all sports, but speaking to us when you're confidence is high, you just seem like you can make plays. It seems like the pucks find the back of the net and you can feel that right now."

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