The Bruins is not going to formally honor Brad Marchand till a pregame ceremony on Feb. 19 earlier than the B’s Presidents’ Day matinee towards the Dallas Stars (1 p.m.). But simply previous to the captain’s 1,000th recreation on Tuesday towards the Tampa Bay Lightning, Marchand’s competitiveness and distinctive character had been on his coach’s thoughts.
“I don’t know if he’s any different than what I thought,” stated Jim Montgomery, who’s coached Marchand for a season and half now. “He’s a player that when you watch him play, you admire, you respect because of the compete, the effort, the emotion he plays with. He’s through and through a hockey player that galvanizes his team, gives his team life, fights for his team. I think what I thought he was going to be is what he is. And how good a teammate he is, that doesn’t surprise me.”
While Marchand is abundantly expert, it’s the grinder in him that impresses Montgomery.
“His ability to win battles consistently, at that size, his ability too not be deterred, ever, is very impressive,” stated Montgomery.
“It’s all about what’s inside you, what you’re willing to try and overcome. I guess it’s that description I gave (recently), if there’s a puck between you and I, he’s going to break my leg to get it. I know that. So does everybody who’s played against him.”
Montgomery stated Marchand’s grown as a captain within the first yr carrying the C.
“It’s a tremendous honor to be captain of any team. I don’t care if you’re 12 years old or 35 years old,” stated Montgomery. “But it takes a while before it just gets natural to be the captain that you are … I think the adversity at Christmas helped him because the leader that he is. That’s why it’s good we’ve gone through it. And the adversity we’re facing right now with the way we’re playing lately is more adversity for more people to assert themselves in their roles.”
Marchand has additionally earned his status as among the best chirpers within the league.
“He’s a guy that if I’m ever going to go toe-to-toe with, I better be on top of my game,” stated Montgomery with a chuckle. “He’s not unarmed in a battle of wits.”
Hoping for rebound
The Bruins went into Tuesday’s recreation towards the Lightning hoping to wipe clear the slate after a bizarre first week again from the eight-day All-Star break. They dominated the league-leading Vancouver Canucks in a 4-0 win however sandwiched that spotlight with their two worst losses for the reason that Christmas break.
In the 4-1 loss to Calgary Flames and three–0 defeat by the hands of the Washington Capitals – neither of whom had been within the playoff image – the B’s managed only one 5-on-3 aim within the two low-energy losses.
As the B’s ready to tackle the Bolts on Tuesday, they acknowledged they had been in that robust a part of the schedule when the playoffs are getting shut, however not shut sufficient to begin serious about the post-season an excessive amount of.
“It’s inevitable. You look ahead,” stated Marchand. “When you’re in (playoff) position, you start getting excited about playoffs. That’s why we play. We want to have the opportunity to play for a Cup and be a playoff team. But we’re so far away. It’s right around the corner, but there are still 30 games left and a lot can happen. You want to make sure you’re playing your best game going into the playoffs. I don’t think the last few games have been indicative of us looking head. We just have to make sure we know the importance of every game. There’s pressure on other team’s, too, to get into playoff spots or to get a better position. We do want to make sure we’re playing good hockey going down the stretch here. But I really liked our practice (Monday). I thought we competed hard. That’s usually where it starts for us, when our practices are good, we do well. And when they’re not, they slip a bit.”
Jake DeBrusk echoed Marchand’s phrases.
“I think that’s human nature, to be honest with you,” stated DeBrusk, who hadn’t had any factors within the first three video games after the break. “At the same time, there’s 30 games left. There’s a lot that can happen in 30 games. That’s 60 possible points and a lot of swings for other teams. It’s easy to get into that after the break and you look at the standings. You can make all the excuses, but usually it’s the other team’s best that you’re getting. There are guys on other teams that are trying to make the playoffs or they’re maybe getting traded, so they’re trying their best against one of the best teams in the league, knowing that people will be watching. It’s been that way since I’ve been here at this time of year. It’s one of those things where I don’t judge when we’ve had a couple of bad games or a couple of good games. It’s not the first couple that we wanted, but we’ve been pretty good about getting out of these ruts. We’ve just got to do our job.”
Loose pucks
Kevin Shattenkirk and Oskar Steen had been again within the lineup whereas Parker Wotherspoon and Jakub Lauko had been the scratches.
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