It was a text message from Mark Recchi that finally got the Bruins leading scorer during the regular season going, according to NBC’s Pierre McGuire’s post game interview.

“He just texted me and told me to play my game and not to worry about anything else,” Marchand said about his conversation with the former Bruin. “The goals and stuff will come. It’s nice to hear from him. He’s obviously a guy that I went through a lot when I played with him and it was good to hear from him again.”

Marchand had been scoreless through the first seven games of the 2013 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, but his first goal could not have come at a better time lifting the Black and Gold to a 3-2 overtime victory over the New York Rangers.

“It felt great,” Marchand said. “We had a really good game tonight and to be able to finish it off with a win is very big. We’re happy that we’re able to capitalize in these overtime games. They’re very tough games to be in, but we’re happy with the win tonight.”

Marchand led the team in points with 36 during the regular season (18 goals, 18 assists). After struggling against the Maple Leafs in the first round, Marchand hopes his overtime winner is just the beginning of better things to come.

“It’s nice to finally get one there and get the monkey off the back,” Marchand said. “Hopefully they keep coming.”

Not only did Marchand score the game-winning goal Thursday night (an assist as well), but he was all over the ice playing like the little pest that he is. He tallied three shots in 22:17 of ice time.

This is the Marchand that Bruins fans are used to seeing. And the “Little Ball of Hate” hopes he can build off his heroics Thursday night.

“I felt good tonight,” Marchand said. “I felt pretty good last game, too. Obviously, the Toronto series wasn’t my best series, but I felt good tonight and just want to keep building on it.”

Marchand described his game-winning goal from his point of view Thursday night at TD Garden.

“I think it might’ve been Z (Zdeno Chara) who had a nice poke check on the three-on-two there,” Marchand said. “And then Bergy (Patrice Bergeron) did a really good job. I was able to get a little bit of space and he made a great pass and I just put it in the open net.”

Marchand needs to build off his play from Game 1 if the B’s want to march on. The only other thing he has to do is get his good friend Tyler Seguin going again.

The Bruins drew first blood Thursday night at TD Garden and it was due to Marchand’s best game of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs, although another stellar performance from captain Zdeno Chara and the play from the three young defensemen – Torey Krug, Matt Bartkowski and Dougie Hamilton – certainly helped.