Bloodied Brad Marchand Helps Bruins 'Demoralize' Capitals After Taking Vicious High Stick To Nose

By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston

BOSTON (CBS) -- Brad Marchand has played hockey for a very long time. But on Monday night, he really was a hockey player.

It's a bit of a cliche, stating that hockey players aren't like the rest of us. Yet time and time again, it is proven to be true, with Marchand doing those honors after taking a wicked high stick to the nose late in the first period against the Washington Capitals.

Marchand went down to the ice in pain, bled all over Capital One Arena, but didn't miss a beat, opting to dry off his bloodied face with a towel and return to the game as quickly as possible.

Marchand ended up getting back on the ice while Nic Dowd -- the aggressor with the high stick -- was still in the penalty box.

And whether he was mad or inspired or simply just having a good night, Marchand was electric from that point forward.

Marchand showed his vision was intact when he assisted on a David Pastrnak goal while Dowd was serving the high-sticking penalty.

Forty seconds later, Marchand scored himself on another power play, catching a fortunate deflection off a stick that sent his shot top shelf past Zach Fucale. That goal tied the game at 2-2.

Marchand added a third-period tally to stretch Boston's lead to 7-3, officially putting the game out of reach for Washington. The streaks of blood and the gauze jammed into his nostrils didn't disrupt his hand-eye coordination while batting a rebound out of mid-air and then lifting the puck over the pad of Vitek Vanecek.

It was just the second time this season that Marchand has recorded more than two points in a game, and it was his fourth multi-goal game of the season.

Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy didn't seem surprised by Marchand's ability to not only stay in the game but also dominate after taking such a brutal shot to the schnoz.

"We know what he's all about, so we've seen it, his compete level. ... He's a competitive guy when he puts his skates on," Cassidy said. "And I think it demoralizes the other team a little bit."

Of course, in the 7-3 victory, Marchand was far from the only contributor. Matt Grzelcyk had the first five-point game of his career, scoring a goal and tallying four assists. Pastrnak scored twice, Linus Ullmark made 30 saves (including a dandy of a glove save on an Alex Ovechkin one-time bomb), and Patrice Bergeron tried his own hand at a little netminding, too:

(It's always surprising to see Bergeron's left-handedness come out when you least expect it.)

But Marchand was the only one who got the hockey player tag on Monday night. A quick glance at his face reveals that he earned it.

You can email Michael Hurley or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.

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• Boston Bruins
• NHL
• Brad Marchand