Marchand haunts again in Bruins win
Captain scores winner, adds empty-net insurance marker as Boston takes 2-1 series lead
Brad Marchand knows how to break the heart of Maple Leafs fans.
Marchand — booed at every turn — scored 28 seconds after Tyler Bertuzzi had tied the game in the third period, and then again into the empty net, to give the Boston Bruins a 4-2 win Wednesday night at the Scotiabank Arena.
There is not a lot between these two teams. Not a lot of space, not a lot of scoring chances, not a lot of difference in work ethic and desire.
But the Boston Bruins now have a one-game advantage over the Toronto Maple Leafs, halfway to victory in the best-of-seven series.
Marchand had been saying nice things about the Maple Leafs, about how they’re “different” this year, more physical, more engaged in the nasty side of the game.
Marchand is the master of that — as Leafs fans might remember from the 2013 post-season when Marchand’s Bruins beat the Leafs in seven games. Or the 2018 playoffs, and the 2019 playoffs. It’s almost like Marchand and the Bruins are on repeat. The cast around Marchand has changed, but the work ethic of the Bruins has not.
“He obviously wants to get under our skin and influence the refs,” said Leafs forward Matthew Knies. “We’ve just got to be composed and not get into that bulls--, and just play hard.”
Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe both praised Marchand as the difference maker in the game, while criticizing the refereeing.
“He’s a world-class player, both in ability and in how he plays.” Keefe said of Marchand. “The gamesmanship. He’s been in the league long enough.
“As you can see, he gets calls. It’s unbelievable actually. I don’t think there’s another player in this series that gets away with taking out Bertuzzi’s legs the way that he does.
There’s not one other player in this series that gets away with that, but he does. It’s an art and he’s elite at it. So we have to manage our way through that.”
Bruins coach Jim Montgomery praised Marchand.
“There’s a burning intensity in him to win,” Bontgomery said of Marchand. “He rises to the occasion. He still manages to get in into other people’s skin, yet he doesn’t cross a line.”
The Bruins went back to goalie Jeremy Swayman, one of many adjustments they made after losing game two with Linus Ullmark in net, and he was again terrific, as he had been in Game 1.
Knies beat him in the second period — on a terrific feed from Mitch Marner — but Swayman clearly has the Leafs’ number, a big reason the Leafs went 0-for-5 on the power play.
Trent Frederic scored in a second period in which the referees put their whistles away, giving Boston jump that carried over to an early third-period power-play goal from Jake DeBrusk.
History says
With Game 4 Saturday, history favours Boston.
When the Bruins have a 2-1 lead in a series in which they have homeice advantage, they are 18-8 all time.
The Leafs are 5-15 all time in bestof-seven series in which they trail two games to one and in which they started on the road.
Making changes
With the venue switch and the Maple Leafs getting the advantage of the last line change, it meant adjustments for both teams.
Beyond goaltending, the Bruins went big with theirs.
Andrew Peeke was hurt in Game 2, replaced by Mason Lohrei, who was recalled from Providence of the American Hockey League on Tuesday. Parker Wotherspoon, a healthy scratch in Games 1 and 2, skated with Kevin Shattenkirk, leaving Matt Grzelcyk as a projected scratch and ex-Leaf James van Riemsdyk saw his first post-season action, in for Jacob Lauko.
“Playoff time of year is always the best time of year,” said van Riemsdyk. “This rivalry is always a lot of fun, two fun buildings to play in. You cherish every opportunity you get. It’s always special to get to play in this building.”
The adjustment the Leafs wanted — the return of William Nylander — didn’t happen. He skated for the third time in four days, but still was not cleared to play due to an undisclosed ailment.
Crowd pleasers
The atmosphere was almost circuslike with Maple Leaf Square brimming with fans.
The asking price was as high as $850 for lower-bowl seat and $600 for an upper bowl seat on the resale market around an hour before the game. And the crowd was into it.
Fans loved the action early in the first period, both teams with early chances thanks to a power play each. The crowd was loudest for a toe save made by Samsonov on a short-handed breakaway by Pavel Zacha and Joel Edmundson blocking a David Pastrnak shot with Samsonov out of position.
And though no goals were scored in the first period, there were plenty of other things to cheer and jeer. A non-call of an elbow by Marchandon Bertuzzi got the crowd angry. And big hits, notably by Matthews on Hampus Lindholm. One by Ryan Reaves on Pavel Zacha had the crowd chanting “Reav-o.”