A pair of key goals from Brad Marchand — including a power-play goal with 14 seconds on the clock and the game winner at 3:52 in overtime — gave the Boston Bruins a 3-2 win Saturday over the Flyers.
Chris VandeVelde's ninth goal of the season — a tip-in off a Nick Schultz wristshot from the point — gave the Flyers a 2-1 lead with 4:30 to go, that looked like it would hold. But a suspect tripping call to Wayne Simmonds on Daniel Paille gave the Bruins a power play with 2:03 on the clock, and they were able to pull Tuukka Rask for a 6-on-4 advantage.
Zdeno Chara opened the scoring at 7:07 of the first period with a wrister from the point — atypical of his notorious slap shot — while Jakub Voracek added his 20th tally of the season midway through the second period for his third-consecutive 20-goal season.
The Flyers (28-25-13) were also granted two substantial scoring chances in the extra stanza — a 3-on-1 opportunity, and a Voracek breakaway. Nothing materialized from either chance though, as Voracek's shot narrowly missed the net.
Steve Mason turned in another steady outing between the pipes, stopping 34 of 37 pucks. Rask countered with 29 saves on 31 shots.
Both teams capitalized on half of their power-play opportunities — with the Flyers going 1-for-2 and the Bruins going 2-for-4. The Flyers also blocked 25 shots, compared to just seven for the Bruins.
TD Garden continues to be a house of horrors for the Flyers as of late, as they've lost their fifth-consecutive game there. They haven't beat the Bruins there since the season opener of the 2011-12 campaign.
Additionally, the Bruins have swept the Flyers in the season series for the second-consecutive season. The Orange and Black haven't beaten them since April 23, 2013 — a 5-2 win at Wells Fargo Center.
The Flyers next head to New Jersey tomorrow, taking on the Devils — who sit just five points behind them — at 5 p.m. They're now tied with Ottawa with 69 points, and sit five points behind the Bruins.
Follow Rob Riches on Twitter @Riches61
