One and only one man defined Game 3 of the first-round series between the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs, although the folks from the losing team aren’t very pleased with the way he lifted the winning side.
The Bruins retook home-ice advantage by beating the Leafs 4-2 on Wednesday, April 24, in the first game played in Canada. With the victory, Boston leads the first-round series 2-1 and Bruins captain Brad Marchand was the main catalyst of the latest triumph.
Brad Marchand gives the Bruins the lead back ‼️
Marchand scored 2 goals, including the eventual game-winning one that put Boston up 3-2 before he added his second to the Bruins’ tally with a late empty-net score to make it 4-2.
After the game, however, Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe couldn’t believe what he had seen from Marchand in Game 3. And forgive me for the spoiler, but the coach didn’t precisely discuss his goalscoring exploits.
“You’ve got to recognize the world-class player both in ability and how he plays, the gamesmanship and everything,” Keefe told reporters after the game on April 24. “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. It’s an art. He’s elite at it.”
Brad Marchand Didn’t Get Call For Penalties in Game 3
Through the first three games of the first-round matchup against the Leafs, the captain of the Bruins has scored 2 goals while providing his teammates with 4 assists.
Keefe, however, pointed out how the antics of Marchand aren’t being penalized by referees enough.
“I don’t think there’s another player in this series that gets away with taking out (Tyler) Bertuzzi’s legs the way [Marchand did],” Keefe said. “There’s not another player in this series that gets away with that. But he does.”
FREDERIC SCORES AFTER MARCHAND TAKES DOWN BERTUZZI BEHIND THE PLAY 😱
CHAOS IN TORONTO
Keefe’s comment referenced Marchand’s action seconds before the Bruins scored the game-tying goal in the second period to make it 1-1. Trent Frederic scored following Marchand’s tripping of Leafs’ forward Tyler Bertuzzi opening a passing lane.
It’s fair to say that Leafs goalie Ilya Samsonov could have done more to stop Frederic’s shot, but it cannot be denied that Marchand’s unpunished action helped the Bruins create a goalscoring play.
Bruins’ Brad Marchand Got Away With A Few Dubious Actions
Later in the game, with the Bruins already leading Toronto 3-2, Marchand seemed to complete another borderline legal action on Bertuzzi that was uncalled for a penalty.
Marchand mixes things up with Bertuzzi again — then buries the empty-netter.
Following that hit, Marchand recovered a rebound and scored the final, empty-net Bruins goal.
The captain had a few more exchanges with Bertuzzi throughout Game 3, including both during the development of the action on the ice and after the final horn sounded inside the arena.
Bertuzzi and Marchand exchange words after the final buzzer
Speaking after the game, Leafs’ Matthew Knies echoed Keefe’s tone when discussing Marchand’s actions and style of play. The Leafs player went a bit further by mentioning the referees and how Marchand seems to affect their decisions.
“He wants to get under our skin and influence the refs,” Knies told reporters postgame. “I think we’ve just got to be composed and not kind of get into that (expletive). Just play hard and make him [less] effective.”
Marchand Doesn’t Think He Did Anything Wrong
The main perpetrator of the aforementioned actions and Keefe’s Hockey Freedy Krueger touched on what happened during Game 3 and his relationship with Bertuzzi, with whom he was teammates when both played for the Bruins before Bertuzzi signed with Toronto.
🎥 Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy hit the podium following the #NHLBruins Game 3 win: “It’s not a given that you get to play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Just kind of woke up with that gratitude and being excited and understanding that it’s a gift to play in this league.”
“We always battle, we are similar players,” Marchand explained in his postgame press conference on April 24. “When you are in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, playing against each other, that all goes out the window.”
“Bert and I get tied up one shift,” Marchand said. “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. It’s not a given that you get the opportunity in the Stanley Cup playoffs. It’s a gift to play in this league.”
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Maple Leafs Coach Incensed by Brad Marchand’s Dark Arts