The Boston Bruins are in the middle of a tight race in the Atlantic Division. They are currently third in the division, which would guarantee them a playoff position if the regular season ended today. In order to stay in the race and keep their postseason hopes alive, they'll need their captain Brad Marchand to continue playing as well as he is.
Thankfully for the Bruins, Marchand is in the middle of his best stretch of hockey this season. After registering a goal against the Buffalo Sabres in the team's most recent contest, the Bruins captain extended his point scoring streak to nine games.
Over the past nine games, Marchand has been scoring at an All-Star pace. He has six goals and four assists over that span. He's shooting the puck more and his line, featuring Elias Lindholm and Charlie Coyle, is firing on all cylinders. This streak has brought his season totals up to 14 goals and 13 assists through 35 games.
For Marchand the streak comes at the perfect time. Before this scoring stretch began, he was on a bit of a cold streak. He had just two goals and 4 points in his previous nine games and was in danger of falling off his usual scoring pace. Which might be a natural course of action for the 36-year-old winger, but for a Boston team still set on a Stanley Cup, it wasn't enough.
Now, Marchand has put himself back on pace to be the 65-point scorer he's been the last two seasons. And his teammates are following suit. The Bruins are 7-2-1 in their last 10 and playing much better hockey. They still have improvements to make, but following the lead of their captain and his scoring streak, the Bruins are suddenly a much better team.
