On Wednesday, Brad Marchand secured his spot among the all-time greats in Boston Bruins history while continuing to be a thorn in the side of the rival Toronto Maple Leafs.
Marchand scored the go-ahead and game-sealing goals, silencing the crowd at Scotiabank Arena while helping the Bruins take a 2-1 advantage in their best-of-seven first-round playoff series against the Leafs.
Only 28 seconds after Tyler Bertuzzi knotted Game 3 at 2-2 midway through the third period, Marchand put the Bruins back ahead for good with a wicked top-shelf snipe over the shoulder of Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov.
MARCHAND GIVES THE LEAD RIGHT BACK TO BOSTON ‼️
THIS IS WILD 🔥 pic.twitter.com/WNMaFdDJ5m
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 25, 2024
Marchand put the finishing touches on the victory, outhustling several Leafs to score on an empty net with 19:24 left. To add insult to injury, it was his 55th career playoff tally, tying Cam Neely for the most in the storied franchise’s history, per StatsCentre.
Marchand mixes things up with Bertuzzi again — then buries the empty-netter. pic.twitter.com/wM3PUMUO3D
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) April 25, 2024
The victory didn’t come without controversy, fitting for Leafs vs. Bruins. With Boston ahead 3-2, officials whistled John Tavares for holding with only 64 seconds left. While the call wasn’t questionable on its own, a few similar incidents went uncalled earlier in the game. That, coupled with the timing of the penalty, will undoubtedly lead to some sour feelings on the Leafs’ side.
However, when it comes to calls, the Maple Leafs got more of them, earning five power-play opportunities to the Bruins’ three. But, unlike their rivals, they could not capitalize, going 0-of-5 on the man advantage. Meanwhile, Boston finished 2-of-3, including the clinching goal.
If Marchand is an ever-present pain for the Leafs, netminder Jeremy Swayman is quickly becoming another.
During a television timeout in the third period, the Bruins goalie was unphased after a collision with Leafs forward Max Domi, which looked purposeful. He went on to turn away 28 of 30 Toronto shots to earn the win. Meanwhile, Swayman stayed undefeated on the year against the Bruins’ rival, allowing only seven goals in five starts (5-0).
