Keefe, Leafs frustrated by Marchand: 'It’s unbelievable, actually, how it goes'
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Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand is making his impact felt in the first round against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Marchand played the hero in a 4-2 victory in Game 3, scoring the game-winning goal just 18 seconds after the Maple Leafs had tied the game at 2-2 in the third period. He added an empty-netter to go along with an assist as part of a three-point night as the Bruins took a 2-1 series lead.
The 35-year-old forward's impact, though, went beyond the scoresheet and, perhaps, into the heads of the Maple Leafs. Marchand wrestled in the offensive zone with Tyler Bertuzzi in the second period, dropping the Toronto forward to the ice twice as part of sequence that led into Trent Frederic's second-period goal, which tied the game at 1-1.
“World-class player, both in ability and how he plays - the gamesmanship and everything,” Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said of Marchand post-game. “It’s world-class. He’s been in the league long enough. As you can see, he gets calls. It’s unbelievable, actually, how it goes. You’ve got to play through that. You’ve got to play through that stuff.
“I don’t think there’s another player in this series that gets away with taking out Bertuzzi’s legs the way he does. There’s not another player in this series that gets away with that. But he does. It’s an art. He’s elite at it.”
Marchand has six points through three games in the first-round series, drawing penalties along the way, including a slashing call on Bertuzzi after a whistle in Game 2.
“He wants to get under our skin and influence the refs,” winger Matthew Knies added. “So I think we’ve just got to be composed and not kind of get into that bulls---. Just play hard and make him (less) effective.”
For his part, Marchand argued after Wednesday's win that his back-and-forth with Bertuzzi was his lone sequence of mixing it up with the Leafs.
“Bert and I get tied up one shift,” said Marchand. “But outside of that, I’m not really in the mix with anything. I’m just trying to play, and play a good team game.
"At this time of the year, it gets so emotional. I’m an emotional player.”
Named Bruins captain prior to this season, Marchand's two goals Wednesday moved into a tie for first all-time in playoff goals for the Bruins with Cam Neely at 55. He sits second in the franchise ranks in career postseason points with 134, behind Ray Bourque's 161.