Brad Marchand stepped up like a captain to lead Bruins to Game 3 win over Leafs

BOSTON -- With their series with the Maple Leafs tied at a game apiece and Game 3 tied 2-2 in the third period, the Boston Bruins needed someone to step up Wednesday night. Who better than their captain, Brad Marchand?

Marchand's goal-scoring was a down a bit during the regular season and he had just three goals in the 17 games leading up to the postseason. He went the first two games against the Leafs without lighting the lamp, though he had three assists and had added another early in the third period Wednesday night to give the Bruins a 2-1 edge.

So Marchand was due. And when the Bruins needed a goal in a hostile environment to get them back on track in the series, he came came through. After Tyler Bertuzzi tied it up at 2-2 with 8:35 left in the game, Marchand put the Bruins back on top just 28 seconds later.

Danton Heinen fed his captain with a nice pass from behind the net and Marchand took care of the rest, sniping one over the glove of Toronto goalie Ilya Samsonov to give Boston a 3-2 edge.

Marchand sealed the deal for Boston with an empty-netter with 36 seconds left. He won yet another battle with Bertuzzi in front of the net and put in his second of the game to give the Bruins a 2-1 series lead.

That second goal was Marchand's 55th of his postseason career, tying Cam Neely for the most in Bruins history. Neely set that record in 1995, when seven years old. That empty-netter was also Marchand's 12th game-winner in the postseason, which passed Neely for the most in B's history.

"Those are things that you kind of look at down the road and look back upon and get excited about," Marchand said after the victory. "Hopefully there is plenty more in the tank, but to be in the company of a guy like that who is one of the most gifted goal-scorers in the history of our franchise and the game, it's pretty special."

The two goals from Marchand won Boston the game, but he put the team on his back in a number of ways Wednesday evening. He led the team in short-handed minutes, as Boston successfully killed off all five of Toronto's power plays. He also led the way with a game-high six shots on net, and it was his juicy rebound that led to DeBrusk's goal early in the third. That came after Marchand won a battle for the puck along the boards, one of the many battles he won throughout the game. 

"We stuck with it all game, it wasn't always pretty and I said it the other day, they're coming very hard, they're playing very physical," said Marchand. "But I thought we elevated to another level from where we had been at the first couple of games and it was great it paid off."

And as is usually the case, there was an agitation factor to Marchand's game as well. It was agitator vs. agitator as Marchand tangled with Bertuzzi all night, with Marchand usually getting the better of his former teammate. Ahead of Boston's first goal of the game, Marchand got into a lengthy battle with Bertuzzi as the two jostled for position. Marchand's stick got between Bertuzzi's skates and sent the forward to the ice. Bertuzzi was begging for a call as Trent Frederick gave Boston a 1-0 lead, but got nothing from the officials.

Marchand was under the skin of the Leafs all night, and had Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe voicing his displeasure with the officiating after the game.

"He gets calls. It's unbelievable, actually, how it goes," Keefe said, via USA Today. "You've got to play through that stuff. I don't think there's another player in this series that gets away with taking out Bertuzzi's legs the way that he does. There's not one other player in the series that gets away with that, but he does. It's an art and he's elite at it."

You know it's a playoff series when a head coach starts complaining about the officiating. Let the mind games begin.

The Bruins will look to take a commanding 3-1 series lead in Game 4, which is set for Saturday night in Toronto.