Brad Marchand collected one goal and one assist to lead the visiting Boston Bruins to a 4-2 victory over the Calgary Flames on Saturday.
Connor Clifton, Charlie McAvoy and Curtis Lazar also scored for the Bruins, who have won two straight outings to complete a three-game road trip through Western Canada. Goaltender Linus Ullmark made 40 saves. Patrice Bergeron and Trent Frederic both collected two assists.
Matthew Tkachuk and Sean Monahan replied for the Flames, who have lost a season-worst four straight games. Goalie Jacob Markstrom stopped 23 shots, and Rasmus Andersson assisted both goals.
Clifton’s first goal of the season late in the first period opened the scoring. The defenseman raced down the right wing and sent a sharp-angled wrist shot from the right circle that Markstrom misplayed, which ended a 21-game goal drought.
Marchand doubled the lead with a big-league deflection at 5:52 of the second period. Marchand tipped David Pastrnak’s knee-high point shot into the top corner for his 11th goal of the season and second tally in as many outings.
McAvoy’s fourth goal of the campaign 56 seconds later made it a 3-0 clash. While the Bruins were buzzing around the offensive zone, Bergeron sent a pass from the end boards that went all the way to the high slot for McAvoy, who converted a wrist shot.
Tkachuk, on his 24th birthday, put the Flames on the board with his team’s first power-play goal in five games, which snapped a 0-for-13 slump. Andersson’s point shot was stopped, but Tkachuk lifted a rebound chance to net his 12th goal of the season at 12:19 of the middle frame.
However, Lazar restored Boston’s three-goal edge three minutes into the third period when he had the final whack at the loose puck during a flurry for his second goal of the season.
Monahan scored with 96 seconds remaining in regulation, his fourth goal of the season to round out the scoring, but it was too little, too late.
–Field Level Media