It's hard to win many games in the NHL when the opponent dominates the third period, which is what happened too many times for the Boston Bruins during the first 20 games of the season.
During that initial 20-game stretch with Jim Montgomery as head coach, the Bruins had a league-worst minus-12 goal differential in the third period. That differential included a league-low nine goals scored in the third period -- seven fewer than the next-lowest scoring third-period team over that span.
The Bruins had an 8-9-3 record after the first 20 games and decided to fire Montgomery and elevate associate coach Joe Sacco to interim head coach.
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Boston has been a far better third-period team under Sacco, and that improvement has played a major role in the team's season-high four-game win streak and overall 7-2-0 record after the coaching switch.
The latest show of improvement at the end of games came Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers at TD Garden. The visitors jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period and had a 3-1 advantage entering the third period. But the Bruins stormed back with goals by Trent Frederic and Brad Marchand to tie the score and force overtime.
A fabulous finish by Brad Marchand to tie the game! 😤 pic.twitter.com/AzSkf2s0ad
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 7, 2024
And that's where Pavel Zacha played the role of hero for the second time in the last three games with the winning goal.
One-timer for the win! 💪
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 7, 2024
Pavel Zacha scores the @SUBWAYCanada OT winner for the Bruins. pic.twitter.com/IMFSPaIC0C
"It was a good sign today again for us, we've had some issues in the third period at home, but it was a great sign tonight how we battled back in that third period," Sacco told reporters in his postgame press conference Saturday. "Great sign for our team."
The Bruins have a plus-five goal differential in the third period over the nine games that Sacco has been in charge. They also have allowed just five third-period goals, which is tied for the second-lowest total in the league during that span. The 10 third-period goals the B's have scored in these nine games are one more than they scored in the third period during the first 20 matchups under Montgomery.
The Bruins clearly are playing with more confidence at the end of games over the last two weeks. And once a couple results start to go your way, that confidence and belief just keeps growing and growing. The Bruins no longer look tenatitive in the third period. They aren't waiting for something good to happen -- they are aggressive in making it happen.
All of the progress made under Sacco will be put to the test in a major way during the Bruins' upcoming five-game road trip. It includes a swing through Western Canada and Seattle, beginning Tuesday night with a showdown against the first-place Winnipeg Jets.
The Bruins' recent improvement in the third period is a hugely encouraging sign for the team, but can they play like this on a consistent basis? We're about to find out.