The Riverside Press-Enterprise
Marchand comes alive, leads Bruins over Hurricanes
It’s the playoffs, meaning it’s the time of year that Brad Marchand is at his best — scoring, passing and getting under his opponent’s skin.
“It’s a time he loves to play, and he shows it,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said after Marchand’s twogoal, three-assist game in Boston’s 5-2 Game 4 victory over the Hurricanes on Sunday tied the first-round playoff series at 2.
“There’s some chirping going on now, too,” Cassidy said. “And I think that can elevate his game, as well.”
Patrice Bergeron had a goal and two assists and drew a game-altering highsticking double minor from Sebastian Aho at the end of the second period that gave the Bruins a 5-on-3 and left their captain with a black eye and several stitches.
Sixty-eight seconds after the penalty, and 44 seconds into the third period, Marchand scored to break a 2-2 tie.
“This is what every kid’s kind of hoping — to get that opportunity playing for that Cup,” Marchand said. “These are the most fun games to play in, when there’s high emotion, high intensity and the most is on the line. If you can’t play in these games, I don’t know what you’re playing for.”
Bruins scratched top defenseman Charlie Mcavoy after he went into the NHL’S COVID-19 protocol about an hour before the opening faceoff. No. 2 defenseman Hampus Lindholm has been out since a hit to the head in Game 2.
BLUES 5, WILD 2 » St. Louis goalie Jordan Binnington didn’t lose any sleep when he was informed by coach Craig Berube that he would be starting for the first time this postseason.
“He’s always the same, he doesn’t give me much of a reaction,” Berube said.
Instead, Binnington let his play do the talking.
Binnington made 28 saves and the Blues beat the Wild to even the best-series at two games apiece.
Jordan Kyrou and David Perron each scored twice and Ryan O’reilly added a goal and two assists. Perron also had an assist for St. Louis.
Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy scored for Minnesota. Marc-andre Fleury made 29 saves.
Binnington, who had lost his previous nine postseason starts, picked up his first playoff win since beating Boston in Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final.
“I felt prepared,” Binnington said. “I felt pretty good.”
Binnington had been supplanted by Ville Husso, who gave up nine goals on 59 shots combined in Games 2 and 3 after shutting out the Wild with 37 saves in the opener.
“You have to be ready for whatever comes up,” Binnington said. “We just have to focus on our job, whatever it is that night.” LIGHTNING 7, MAPLE LEAFS 3 » Ross Colton scored twice, Andrei Vasilevskiy had 22 saves and Tampa Bay got off to a fast start to beat even their first-round series.
Steven Stamkos, Pierre Edouard Bellemare and Pat Maroon scored in the first eight minutes against Jack Campbell in the opening period, setting the tone for a long night for the Toronto goalie coming off a stellar performance in Game 3.
Campbell gave up five goals on 16 shots before being replaced in the second period by Erik Kallgren, who stopped all 10 shots he faced in relief.
Corey Perry and Ondrej Palat also scored, and Brandon Hagel and Nikita Kucherov each had two assists for the Lightning.
Vasilevskiy improved to 17-0 in games following a playoff loss over the past three postseasons for the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions.
William Nylander scored twice and Jake Muzzin also had a goal for the Maple Leafs.
Toronto’s dynamic duo of Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner did very little. Matthews had the primary assist on Nylander’s first goal, however the NHL’S leading goal-scorer during the regular season didn’t have a shot on goal until the third period.