Boston Bruins turn to ex-Maple Leaf to spark powerplay for Game 3

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As Jan Brady used to wail, it’s all about “Marchand, Marchand, Marchand”.

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If he hasn’t been upsetting the Maple Leafs with his histrionics that officials have overlooked, Brad Marchand is adding to their tortured playoff history against the Boston Bruins. He got the better of Tyler Bertuzzi, Toronto’s own mischief-maker, in a Game 3 Bruins’ win on Wednesday night at Scotiabank Arena.

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It was in one of his exchanges with Bertuzzi that found the Leaf in the penalty box which allowed Boston to tie the game. Marchand then got loose for the winner just 28 seconds after Bertuzzi tied it and added an empty-net goal for an exclamation mark and made a low-key exit to a chorus of boos.

“You play in the league long enough, you get calls,” Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe said of Marchand. “It’s an art and he’s elite at it. You’ve got to play through that.”

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HAD TO REMIND US?

When Jim Montgomery pencilled James van Riemsdyk into Boston’s lineup for Game 3, he invoked the last active Leafs link to the Causeway Street Collapse.

The 34-year-old, thousand-gamer, who was rested the first two games of this opening round and played sparingly late in the regular season, came back to the arena he called home for five years.

But no season was more eventful than the lockout-shortened 2013 campaign and the ensuing playoffs. Toronto was down 3-1 in games to Boston in its first post-season appearance in nine years, then pushed the series to seven, where a 4-1 lead melted late in the third period at TD Garden in a gutting overtime loss.

“That seems like forever ago now,” van Riemsdyk said in giving a horde of media plenty of his time after the morning skate. “You have to cherish the good and the bad in the course of your career and realize there are lessons to be learned in both.

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“Looking back, it was a year where we wanted to start to establish ourselves, gaining some respect in the league. (The Randy Carlyle-coached team) had a fairly good year and even being down 3-1, didn’t quit.

“That Game 7 will probably haunt anyone on that team for the rest of their life. Not getting the job done, that’s what playoff hockey is all about, that resilience, no matter what the time or the score is, (realizing) anything can happen.

“It was a tough lesson for us to learn back then.”

BIG MAN ON CAMPUS

Montgomery had made changes to his faltering power play near the end of the season and van Riemsdyk paid the price. But lack of finish hurt Boston in Game 2, so it was time.

“Him getting his stick on more pucks would be it,” the coach said of what JVR was expected to add “We’ve talked about it a lot of times internally. Him and (the sometimes scratched) Kevin Shattenkirk have been coming in every day, coming to work. It’s not an easy situation but (JVR) has been great.”

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Van Riemsdyk was asked whether the strategy of a big man’s net presence on power plays is still in vogue.

“Part of my identity is to be able to impact the game in those sorts of situations (deflecting shots up high. Over the years, it’s the fine line of improving on your strengths and adding to your game to be more versatile.

“The hardest part of my career was (parking in front of the net in practice against the cross checks of behemoth Philly teammate) Chris Pronger. It’s definitely different now (as defenders can’t maul forwards as before). There’s not as much camping out now because the game is so fast.”

HOME ON THE RANGE

Whether the Leafs heed the message to ‘Bring The Passion’ as the rally towels were urging was an unanswered question ahead of their first home game in 10 days.
Previous to Wednesday night, Toronto had lost three in Florida, Tampa Bay and Game 1 in Boston, before returning home with this series tied.

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Keefe had almost forgotten about having the home-ice luxury of last change.

“We’ll see what the lineup looks like for us, but if you look at the way the forward matchups went on the road, we were pretty good with how they worked out,” he said.

“(That includes) both teams, top six, bottom six. You have to be smart about how you manage that and get outside of it.

“Obviously they really focused on Auston Matthews’ line with how they utilized their defence (a steady diet of Charlie McAvoy). We can manage that a little better at home and make it difficult for them.

“At the same time that line has been doing really well. We have to manage the matchups accordingly so we’re not chasing one to get something more favourable somewhere else and expose ourselves, especially playing without certain players.”

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LOOSE LEAFS

While the pre-game was all about the status of William Nylander (he didn’t play for the third game in a row) and the exact nature of his injury, there was still no sighting of winger Bobby McMann (lower body) … Goalkeeper Matt Murray, his conditioning stint with the Marlies being up, was at the morning skate. Martin Jones was not with the main group to prevent an overload of goalies with Ilya Samsonov and Joseph Woll also on the ice … The Marlies opened their best-of-three AHL playoff series in Belleville on Wednesday night, losing 3-1 to the Senators … In his pre-series comments, Marlies coach John Gruden said: “The last few months, it’s been tough. We’ve had to grind and we did a really good job of that and I expect them to extend that right through the playoffs.”

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