BOSTON — For weeks, Brad Marchand has been preaching the same message about the postseason. The Bruins had to get in the playoffs and play well when they got there.
They checked the first box weeks ago. They’ll try to begin work on the second Saturday at 8 p.m. when they begin their best-of-seven first-round series against the Maple Leafs at TD Garden.
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“We’re excited. We earned a spot in the playoffs,” Marchand said. “We have an opportunity to play for a cup that’s all you want to start the year. We’re excited to get going.”
The Bruins are entering the playoffs coming off of back-to-back losses to the Capitals and Senators int their final regular season games, but didn’t seem concerned.
“We didn’t play very good in the least two games, but other than that we’ve been playing well,” said Marchand, who’ll start his first postseason as the Bruins’ captain. “We’ve been playing in our structure and giving ourselves an opportunity to win every night. If we do that in playoffs, we’ll be tough to play against. But everything changes. Pace is higher. There’s more on the line. You have to make sure you bring it.”
Starting this postseason is the next step, and probably the first real step toward putting last year’s brutal disappointment behind them. After setting regular season records for dominance, the Bruins fell to Florida in the first round of the playoffs. That weight has been tied to their collective ankles all year. No matter what they accomplished in the regular season, this team and this franchise, despite considerable turnover in roster, will be judged on whether or not they win at least one round.
“I don’t care about last year now. We played the 82 games, now it’s going to be hard, it’s going to be tough, it’s going to be exciting,” Linus Ullmark said. “It sucks to lose. But like I said, I don’t care about (last year). We have a whole different group. New opportunities, new opponents. Clean slate.”
Ullmark and the Bruins’ goaltending will be scrutinized as heavily as any part of the roster. Ullmark was the best goalie in the NHL last year during the season and flamed out in the playoffs. How Jim Montgomery deploys his two elite goalies will be dissected and debated. But Ullmark said the pressure to perform beats missing the playoffs.
And he’d know.
Ullmark spent the first six years of his NHL career in Buffalo a city that rarely sees warm weather or playoff hockey in April. He said he’s cherishing being in the tournament for the third straight season.
“It’s probably the most fun there is in the whole wide world. It’s very exciting. It’s something you look forward to and something that you miss if you don’t get there,” he said. “In my early days, I didn’t really understand what I was missing. Getting a taste of it the first two years here in Boston, it’s so much fun.
“Now is when the fun starts. It’s a whole different beast,” he continued. “A lot of emotions. Everything becomes more fun. I’m very excited about what’s to come.”
