The Boston Bruins have continued to build their game with each outing of Joe Sacco's two-week tenure as interim head coach.
After completing a midweek back-to-back and three-in-four stretch Wednesday with a 4-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks, the Bruins return home for a Saturday matinee against another longtime rival in the Philadelphia Flyers.
Captain Brad Marchand and Morgan Geekie each scored two goals in Chicago to lead the Bruins, who have won three straight to improve to 6-2-0 under Sacco and three games above .500 (14-11-3) for the first time this season.
"Huge win for us (Wednesday), and one we'll continue to build on," Marchand said. "We're getting better defensively. Different areas of our game are starting to come together as we're getting more confident with our play. We're getting some bounces, too."
The aforementioned individuals have unlocked some of their best hockey of late. Geekie has logged three of his four goals and four total points across his last five games, while that span includes both of Marchand's multi-goal games this season.
Goaltender Jeremy Swayman also figures into that group, having won three of his last five starts with a .925 save percentage in that time.
As Sacco sees it, taking "incremental" steps has helped lead to his team's recent success.
"We talked about getting back to an identity ... and reaching that again. So, it's really about the process," Sacco said. "I know it's a cliche, but it really is. We focus on certain things we can control every day. Hopefully the results and the score (will) take care of itself."
The Flyers had their five-game unbeaten streak (4-0-1) snapped Thursday in a back-and-forth loss to the Florida Panthers, the Atlantic Division co-leaders as of Friday, who rallied for three goals in the final 5:17 of the 7-5 contest.
"I thought there were times that we played our aggressive style," forward Garnet Hathaway said. "On our toes, checking forward, things we talk about. I thought we did that for a good part of the game. I don't think we started with it, but I think we found it."
Despite the loss, Owen Tippett scored twice and 19-year-old star Matvei Michkov became the first Philadelphia rookie to record three assists in a game since Philippe Myers on Dec. 3, 2019. All three came in the second period, a feat no NHL teenager had achieved since 2016.
Michkov, who scored his third overtime game-winner last Saturday against the St. Louis Blues, leads all NHL rookies with nine goals and 22 points in 24 games.
"Mich has an ability to take something that doesn't look like there's much going on and all of a sudden it's a dangerous chance," said Flyers associate head coach Brad Shaw, who took questions following Thursday's game. "That's a skill that is pretty rare in our game."
Head coach John Tortorella's Philadelphia lineup remains without several key pieces, including forward Nicolas Deslauriers, who landed on injured reserve Friday with an upper-body injury after leaving Wednesday's practice early. He has played just seven games this season.
Additionally, defenseman Jamie Drysdale (upper-body) and goaltender Samuel Ersson (lower-body) remain on IR but are considered day-to-day.
The teams traded shutouts in their first two meetings. Ersson made 25 saves in the Flyers' 2-0 road win on Oct. 29 before Joonas Korpisalo stopped all 20 shots to lift the Bruins to a 3-0 victory four days later in Philadelphia.
