TORONTO — From the start of the morning skate on Wednesday to the end of his press conference, the Bruins got the best version of Brad Marchand, who went from having a quiet series to planting himself directly in the center of it.
If he’s someday inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame — now an almost certain eventuality — a few blocks up the road from Scotiabank Arena, games like Wednesday will be part of the reason why.
He was feisty and introspective, cocky then vulnerable. He was belligerent, clutch and smart but still a pest. Marchand was in control while pushing the Maple Leafs out of control. He’s figured out how to listen to the angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other and combine their messages effectively.
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“There’s a burning intensity in him to win,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said.
That fire was already well stoked hours before Wednesday’s 4-2 Game 3 victory. Moments into morning skate, he was already shouting to his teammates spurring them to do more and be more.
“He started barking the first drill,” Montgomery said. “I loved it.”
After the early session, Marchand reminded his teammates to cherish being in the postseason.
“It’s not a given that you get to play in the Stanley Cup playoffs. I woke up with that gratitude. It’s a gift to play in this league,” Marchand said. “It’s something we dream about as kids. I talk to my kids about it and their dreams of playing at this level. To realize we’re living it, We’re lucky to be here. You want to make the most of this opportunity.”
The message landed.
“I love what he said about gratitude. These series go fast. You’ve got to work for them,” Charlie McAvoy said. “Emotionally, he’s our leader and he drags us into the fight every night. It’s on us to follow right behind him.”
Dragging them into the fight can take different forms on different nights. On Wednesday it meant getting under the skin of a former teammate.
Marchand had tangled with Tyler Bertuzzi when Bertuzzi was on the Red Wings. But when the Bruins traded for him at the 2023 deadline, he and Marchand became friends, united by similar interests off the ice and similar hard-to-play-against styles on it during their brief stint as teammates. But they’ve put that on pause for the first round of the playoffs.
They traded shoves, slashes and cross-checks while chirping each other in the second period. Their pest polka had the crowd’s attention and even seemed to distract Ilya Samsonov, who gave up a weak goal to Trent Frederic moments later. The play tied the score and might have changed the game.
“When he gets in his “Little Ball of Hate” mode good things happen for the team,” Jake DeBrusk said. “He plays to his strengths and sometimes his strengths are getting in the face of opponents and being annoying and someone you wouldn’t want to play against.”
While Leafs play-by-play voice Joe Bowen repeatedly called Marchand “a rat” or “the rat” during the broadcast, the Bruins captain reminded everyone watching how skilled he actually is. He came out of a battle on the right wing boards with the puck and launched it at the next. Samsonov saved it but DeBrusk put home the rebound to put the Bruins ahead.
Just 28 seconds after Bertuzzi tied the game, Marchand laser-beamed a wrist shot over Samsonov’s shoulder to put the Bruins ahead again with 8:07 left.
“This time of year it gets so emotional. I’m an emotional player,” he said. “You need to be able to keep that intact.”
Marchand sealed the game with an empty netter late.
“He’s always risen to big moments,” Montgomery said. “You look at his career points in the playoffs.”
His 134 postseason points are second only to Ray Bourque. His 12 game-winning goals in the playoffs are second to nobody.
“That was vintage March,” DeBrusk said. “He was our leader tonight. We needed him and he came through.”
Follow MassLive sports columnist Matt Vautour on Twitter at @MattVautour424.
