The Boston Bruins blew two leads -- a two-goal edge and then a one-goal edge -- on Monday night.

But behind a monstrous effort from Tuukka Rask and the winning dagger from David Krejci in the bottom of the third round of the shootout, the B’s extended their winning streak following a 4-3 final against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre.

Brad Marchand scored two goals for the Black and Gold while fourth-line energy winger Zac Rinaldo recorded his first in a Bruins uniform.

Here are some (admittedly delayed, sorry about that) leftover thoughts and notes from the final…

Rask continues to wow behind a season-high

The B’s do not win this game if it’s not for the straight-up sensational play of their netminder.

Rask was huge in this win. Between his second period-ending save on Jake Gardiner to his double-save effort on James van Riemsdyk and Leo Komarov early in the third, or his overtime-saving robbery of van Riemsdyk late in the game, Rask did it all. And the B’s needed him to.

In total, the 28-year-old stopped 39-of-42, a season-high, and was everything the Black and Gold have come to expect out of their ace in the crease after a rocky start to the season.

And maybe it’s finally time to exhale when it comes to your concerns about Rask. (I definitely think it is.) The Finnish sensation is finally at the .900 mark when it comes to season save percentage, and has allowed just 13 goals over his last six appearances. It’s worth noting that five of those 13 goals against came in one (nightmarish) game, too. Like any goaltender, Rask will go through some rough patches over the course of an 82-game season, and the only way you’ll work through that is… well… working through it. And coach Claude Julien and the Bruins have stuck with him through that stretch.

Right now, they’re getting rewarded for it.

Marchand looking like Marchand of old

Watch Brad Marchand out there and try to tell me that this isn’t the best the 5-foot-9 winger has looked since the 2011-12 season. Just try. Marchand, who has stepped up into more of a leadership role this season, has looked like a new man (er, maybe new old man is the better term there given what you were used to seeing out of No. 63 from 2010 to 2012) with each rush into the attacking zone.

With two goals on Monday night, Marchand now has 10 goals in 18 games.

He’s paced for a 40-goal season. 40! Marchand’s career-high for goals in a single season is 27, set in a 2011-12 campaign that likely would have ended with 30 goals had it not been for Marchand’s five-game suspension for clipping then-Canucks defenseman Sami Salo, and that mark is well within striking distance. Provided that Marchand, of course, remains a healthy skater for the club.

One other thing you’ll notice about Marchand this season? He’s slowly deviating from the ‘pest’ role that he’s had throughout his time in Boston. It seems that he’s more focused on, y’know, scoring goals.



Wing-turned-Bruin Ferraro makes debut

It was an interesting debut for Landon Ferraro.

For starters, it seemed a bit on the fly given Ferraro’s lack of line rushes in Boston’s morning skate. So to have a player just jump right into the mix and contribute the way that Ferraro did is quite impressive. And after one game, what do you know about the 24-year-old? Well, for one, he’ll battle along the wall. That’s not exactly a missing ingredient of this year’s Bruins team. Two: Ferraro has solid wheels and can make things happen with his speed, which is an added bonus for a Boston roster that I think is a bit limited in that department when it comes to their bottom six.

And perhaps best of all, he gives awkward interviews with his father.



Ferraro recorded an assist in 8:07 of time on ice.

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