National Hockey League
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Boston 5, Arizona 2
When: 8:00 PM ET, Saturday, December 6, 2014
Where: Gila River Arena, Glendale, Arizona
Referees: Francois St. Laurent, Graham Skilliter
Linesmen: David Brisebois, Steve Miller
Attendance: 13114

Bruins 5, Coyotes 2: Brad Marchand registered his second two-goal performance of the season as Boston salvaged the finale of its four-game road trip.

Defenseman Kevan Miller, Simon Gagne and Loui Eriksson also scored for the Bruins, who had lost five of their last six contests - both on the road and overall. Reilly Smith and blue-liner Dougie Hamilton notched two assists apiece while Tuukka Rask made 24 saves as Boston posted its fifth straight victory over Arizona.

Mikkel Boedker scored a rare power-play goal and Joe Vitale tallied to end a lengthy home drought for the Coyotes, who fell to 0-5-2 at Gila River Arena since edging Toronto on Nov. 4. Mike Smith stopped eight shots in relief of Devan Dubnyk, who surrendered four goals on 24 shots.

The Bruins grabbed an early lead as Hamilton intercepted a pass in the neutral zone and carried the puck down the right wing before dishing it to Smith, whose cross-slot pass from the right faceoff circle was converted by Marchand 58 seconds into the contest. Marchand completed his two-goal effort - and chased Dubnyk - with 5:13 left in the second period, beating the netminder from the bottom of the slot after receiving a backhand pass from Smith.

Millar gave Boston a 2-0 advantage five minutes after Marchand's first goal, firing the puck between Dubnyk's pads from the right circle following another turnover. Vitale halved the deficit at 13:11 of the first with a shot from the right faceoff dot, but Gagne was awarded a goal after video review at 8:34 and Marchand netted his second tally before Eriksson slid the rebound of Patrice Bergeron's one-timer past Smith with 30 seconds left in the session for a 5-1 cushion.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Vitale's goal was Arizona's first at home in 185 minutes, 34 seconds. The Coyotes had not tallied at home since midway through the first period of an overtime loss to Colorado on Nov. 25. ... Arizona had gone 0-for-23 on the power play over its previous seven home games before Boedker cashed in. It had not scored with the man advantage since going 2-for-8 against Florida on Oct. 25. ... Marchand also scored two goals while adding an assist for a season-high three points on Oct. 30 at Buffalo.
Top Game Performances
 
Boston   Arizona
Brad Marchand 2 Points Mikkel Boedker 1
Brad Marchand 2 Goals Mikkel Boedker 1
Dougie Hamilton 2 Assists Shane Doan 1
Loui Eriksson 1 Power Play Goals Mikkel Boedker 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Tuukka Rask .923 Save Percentage Mike Smith .889
Tuukka Rask 24 Saves Devan Dubnyk 20
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Boston 33 5 1-2 3-4 8 25
Arizona 26 2 1-4 1-2 4 31
Upcoming Games
  • Arizona will play their next game at home against Nashville. The Coyotes have a W/L % of .400 after a win and .333 after a loss.
  • Boston will play their next game at home against Chicago. The Bruins have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .571 after a loss.