Marner’s selfless acts go a long way
Funny guy, that Mitch Marner. The Toronto Maple Leafs winger, lauded for not turning away despite being prone and looking squarely at a david Pastrnak point shot in the final seconds of Game 3 Monday night, had an honest answer as to why he didn’t cover his face as the Boston Bruins forward wound up.
“There’s dentists for a reason,” Marner said. “Lucky enough, it didn’t hit me in the face, but it could have been a tough result if it did.
“I was already down there, I was right in front of him. I knew if it got in there it was going to be a tough shot for (goaltender) Freddie (Andersen) to save.
“It was going to be low and hard and I didn’t know what was going to happen, so I just tried to sprawl as much as possible and put my arms out.”
Marner’s willingness to toss himself in harm’s way to ensure the Leafs won 3-2 — and took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven first round of the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs — remained a topic of discussion after practice on Tuesday, and rightfully so.
Marner blocked a one-timer by Pastrnak, fell to the ice and then blocked a second Pastrnak attempt.
Marner’s teammates mobbed him as the horn sounded, a rarity, of course, as it’s usually the goalie who is the initial target of teammates’ hugs in the immediate aftermath of victory.
The first to embrace Marner was John Tavares.
“I think we were just screaming at each other,” Tavares said. “I don’t remember really saying a whole lot, but it was a hell of a job stepping right into a pretty good one-timer and to block another as he was laying on the ice was a big play for us.”
It was an example of what drives the best teams to win in the post-season — doing whatever it takes to win is the cliché, but it does ring true.
“When you see guys sacrificing their body to make a play, its going to help the team and there is some pain that comes with that,” Tavares said. “No question, especially a guy like Mitch who plays a big role for our team and what he does throughout the game, making a key play there, gives everyone a big boost, especially when it’s able to help solidify a victory.”
defenceman Jake Muzzin would know. In the past couple of weeks on several occasions, he has discussed with media all that was part of winning the Stanley Cup in 2014 with the Los Angeles Kings.
desire is paramount. The willingness to play outside of a usual comfort zone also can be significant.
“Just a guy doing whatever it takes to keep the puck out of the net,” Muzzin said. “We need everyone with that mentality and that mindset. Awesome to see that.”
The Leafs won’t appear to have any lineup changes for Game 4 on Wednesday night at Scotiabank Arena, as they look to head back to Boston for Game 5 on Friday with the possibility of eliminating the Bruins.
Centre Nazem Kadri, suspended on Monday by the National Hockey League for the remainder of the series for his cross-check on Bruins forward Jake debrusk in Game 2, practised with his teammates but was not made available to speak to reporters afterward.
Marner, who was credited with 43 blocked shots in 82 games during the regular season, has been doing plenty well for the Leafs in the series, whether it’s helping to keep the Patrice Bergeron line at bay, killing penalties or tracking to make smart decisions in the defensive zone.
Marner and Tavares each have three points to tie for the Toronto lead, but if Marner finds himself staring down another Bruins shot in the waning seconds on Wednesday night, expect a similar mindset from the 21-year-old.
“The first shot was just a quick sting, those shots always do that, just a for brief little second and it’s fine,” Marner said. “(The second shot) was right in front of me, so just tried to kind of starfish on him and try to take away as much as I could.
“I didn’t really know where it hit me. I didn’t really feel it anywhere.
“I think anyone on this team would have done it. We’re determined in this locker-room, we want to win games and do whatever it takes.”