Pat Maroon only played in two regular-season games for the Bruins after his trade to Boston, but his performance in Game 1 against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night made it seem as if the big-bodied forward had been part of the team all year.
Maroon amassed six hits in 11:28 of ice time in the Bruins’ 5-1 win against Toronto to take a 1-0 lead in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He also picked up an assist on Johnny Beecher’s opening goal.
The 35-year-old came to Boston via trade with the Minnesota Wild. Back surgery earlier in the season kept Maroon out of all but two games for the Bruins, but a veteran who has three Stanley Cups and plenty of NHL experience has been beneficial to the team as a whole. Even Maroon’s former foe, Brad Marchand, knows it.
“He has a ton of experience we can draw from. He’s comfortable talking in any situation,” Marchand said. “He keeps guys accountable. It’s not an easy thing to do for a guy to come in at the deadline and act like that and have that confidence in the room, but because of that experience, he does and it makes a difference.”
After Maroon’s trade to Boston was official, many wondered how he and Marchand would get along. The two have history on the ice that stems back years. During a game in January 2022 when Marchand was mic’d up, he told Maroon he owned him, to which his now-current teammate replied, “I got three Stanley Cups. How many you got?
Despite their back-and-forth on the ice over the years, Maroon chalked it all up to having a “love-hate relationship” with one another during a ‘22 appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
Maroon has already made a difference in the locker room, even drawing comparisons to Nick Foligno, whose leadership was constantly lauded during his two years with the Bruins.
“What he’s really good at, like Nick Foligno, is a lot of positive talk and reinforcement of what the game plan is,” coach Jim Montgomery said. “He really grabs his linemates with positive reinforcement of what they’re going to do on the next shift.”
That was evident Saturday playing wit Jesper Boqvist and Beecher. The trio combined for three points in the Game 1 win when Maroon had two Maple Leafs tied up in a board battle before he got the puck over to Boqvist to create a 2-on-1. Boqvist sent a cross-ice pass into the low slot where Beecher beat Ilya Samsonov with a redirect to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead just 2:26 into the game.
“He’s been great for me and Boqs,” Beecher said after Boston’s win. “Just slowing the game down, giving us a little advice here and there.”
Maroon’s line was part of the Bruins’ depth that came up big for their team in Game 1, and they’ll look to carry that same momentum into Game 2 on Monday night at TD Garden.
