BOSTON — Brad Marchand Neither his contract nor his goalscoring drought were renewed on Saturday night.
The Bruins The captain disputed reports on Canadian television that he was close to a three-year extension with the team he played for his entire career. But that was after the 36-year-old striker scored in extra time Boston beat the Maple Leafs 4-3 at TD Garden.
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The Bruins haven’t played well, snapping a three-game winless streak. But down 3-2 late, they regrouped and won in overtime.
“It was nice to be rewarded by the team for playing well. Sometimes you do it for a period or two, but it doesn’t go the way you want it to and you start to switch and fall back into bad habits,” he said. “Even when they hit late today, we didn’t do that, we just kept playing the right way. It paid off. It’s not always, but it’s good when it is.”
Marchand said it was a good sign that the team was intact after losing the lead in regulation.
“Guys have been drafted, coaches have been drafted. There was a belief that we could still do it, and we still had that chance. That’s why I liked our approach,” he said. “This is one game. It doesn’t change things drastically, but it’s a great way to realize that we’re a good team when we play the right way. … It’s a great way to build our foundation, understanding how to play to be successful.”
This goal was Marchand’s first goal of the season. After a late start to training camp following offseason surgeries, he hasn’t found consistency or found the back of the net in the first eight games. He said he wasn’t thinking about the drought, but was happy to put it behind him.
“I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs in my career, so you have to be consistent. “I haven’t gotten too involved with it, but it’s good to get it out of the way,” he said.