Bruins Marchand Trying 'To Do A Little Bit Of Everything'
BOSTON (CBS) – Bruins forward Brad Marchand is just happy to be on an NHL team, let alone competing for a chance to hoist the Stanley Cup.
Marchand told 98.5 The Sports Hub's Gresh and Zolak Tuesday there was a time he was not sure he would make an NHL roster. Now he is playing a huge roll for the Bruins as they get set to open up the Eastern Conference Finals against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.
"It's a completely different thing," Marchand said of playoff hockey. "Guys talked about it all year long, how much different, how much more intense it is. I don't think you can understand until you get out on the ice. Guys will tell me stuff but it's completely different. You can't even compare it to the regular season. Guys are so much more intense. Guys are basically out there to hurt each other."
Listen: Marchand Talks Tampa Bay, Tyler Seguin On Gresh & Zolak
"I was sitting in the dressing room and the biggest thing I could think of was don't mess up out there," the rookie recalled of his first playoff game against the Montreal Canadiens in the first round. "You sit in the room and you can hear the fans chanting and cheering. I had so much adrenaline before I even went on the ice. By the time I got out there I couldn't feel my body. I was skating around asking 'when am I going to feel my legs again?'"
So far so good for Marchand this postseason. After missing a few open nets early on against the Candiens, which he attributed to nerves, Marchand has five goals in his last seven games. His 11 points are second on the team behind Patrice Bergeron's 12, and Marchand's five goals are tied with Nathan Horton and David Krejci for most on the team.
For the 5-9 winger, he just wants to contribute any way he can.
"I want to do a little bit of everything. The biggest thing is I want to go work hard," said Marchand. "Working with (Bergeron) and (Rechhi), those guys carry me along pretty well. I feed off them. I want to get Bergy and Rex the puck and let him play with it. I want try and frustrate guys and get in their heads. I try to do a little bit of everything out there and hopefully help the guys in doing that."
Now Marchand and the Bruins will have to deal with life without Patrice Bergeron, who is expected to miss time with a concussion. But Marchand is confident Chris Kelly can step in and fill the void until Bergeron gets back.
"Bergy is such a great player, does everything to a T," said Marchand. "Those are tough shoes to fill but Chris is a great player, he works very hard. I think he's got great feel and is having a great playoff run right now. We're starting to build a little chemistry on the ice."
Read: Bruins-Lightning Eastern Conference Finals Schedule
Marchand takes pride in trying to be a "pest" toward the other team, but sometimes it leads to a chat with his own teammates, letting him know he needs to relax a little bit.
"Pretty much everyone has to at this point," he said of the pep talks. "I get it from all angles. Coaches talk to me all the time. Rex does a great job at that, (Shawn) Thornton is another guy that steps up a lot."
"You can go down the list; Chara, Seidenberg, Ference, Rechhi, Thorty. They all sit me down and say 'settle down.'"
Every game of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Bruins and Lightning can be heard on 98.5 The Sports Hub's with pregame coverage beginning 30 minutes before each game with the Dunkin Donuts Bruins Pregame show
