The Boston Bruins have already been through a good amount of turmoil in just the first month of the 2014-15 season. With the Johnny Boychuk trade, roster moves and the mounting injuries, October was not the best of times for the Black and Gold.

It almost got worse, too. With Torey Krug joining the injury list, the Bruins defense was mostly comprised of  call-ups, including the two most recent players who made the trip from Providence to Boston, David Warsofsky and Joe Morrow. That, combined with a pretty flat performance through the first two periods, put Bruins fans on the edge after trailing 2-1 to the lowly Buffalo Sabres.

Despite the advantages in the stat sheets – from shots on goal to zone time – the Bruins’ performance did not live up to those numbers. Their sense of urgency wasn’t shown until about the midway point of the third period.

Finally, after spending a good chunk of time in the Sabres’ end and generating several chances, Brad Marchand provided a spark.

In addition to his second period assist – on Adam McQuaid’s first goal of the season – Marchand tallied the tying and overtime goals to give the Black and Gold a 3-2 win, and a sigh of relief.

It certainly wasn’t pretty by any means, but as the old adage says, a win is a win.

“We had a really tough breakdown last game, and we wanted to bounce back and get a win,” Marchand told NESN’s Guerin Austin after their win, while also referring to Tuesday’s third period collapse against the Minnesota Wild. “We came into the third down a goal, and it’s a big win for us.”

Like some his fellow teammates, Marchand has been plagued by inconsistent play. In the first 11 games, the fifth-year Bruin tallied just three points (a goal and two assists) and was a minus-1. Because of this, Marchand was separated from his usual linemates, Patrice Bergeron and Reilly Smith and instead skated with Loui Eriksson and Carl Soderberg less than 24 hours after the Bruins’ loss to the Wild.

As a matter of fact, Marchand left Wednesday’s practice after tweaking something and was listed as a game-time decision.

“It was a game-time decision,” Marchand told reporters at the visiting locker room of the First Niagara Center. “I didn’t really know I was going to skate in the morning, so when I got out there I felt pretty good. It’s tough missing a game – it’s going to take a lot to miss a game. So it was good to be out there.

“Obviously if I sat out I wouldn’t have known [about the game-winner], but after having that game I know I made the right decision, and I’m happy with it.”

Because he plays on the edge, Marchand’s decision-making process is never perfect. Even after a shaky start to the season, and the B’s performance in the first 40 minutes, it’s safe to say that Marchand made a good decision on this night.