Takeaways: Brad Marchand enters takeover mode in Game 3 win

Sometimes, the chaotic nature of playoff hockey presents a team with unique opportunities.

In the Bruins instance, a former teammate provided an unlikely opening in Game 3.

Amid a night of tight-checking and brutal officiating, the Maple Leafs had the Bruins on the ropes after Mitch Marner connected with Matthew Knies for the game’s first tally at 13:10 of the middle stanza.

The Leafs had the Bruins on the ropes. But their undisciplined play popped up at the worst time.

As Tyler Bertuzzi engaged in shenanigans with Brad Marchand, an assertive Trent Frederic took advantage of a sleepy Toronto D and beat Ilya Samsonov to the short-side post a mere 4:27 after Knies’ tally.

Bertuzzi committed a roughing penalty late in the middle frame after the refs gifted Toronto with its fourth power play attempt of the night. The Bruins wasted little time converting on the man advantage in the third as Jake DeBrusk buried a rebound for his third power-play tally of the series.

The Bruins needed another response after Morgan Reilly’s shot bounced off Bertuzzi and Hampus Lindholm. They netted another quick counter 28 seconds later when Brad Marchand fired a crafty wrister over Samsonov’s shoulder to put the Bruins ahead for good.

Another round of timely stops by Jeremy Swayman and an empty netter by Marchand capped off Boston’s 4-2 victory. Here’s what we learned after another bruising playoff tilt.

Marchand baited the Leafs during takeover mode.

For the first half of Wednesday’s tilt, Marchand’s performance resembled that of another late-season slump. But staring a potential series deficit, the first-year Boston captain regained his scoring touch while toeing the proverbial fine line in a pivotal moment.

Marchand tallied three points in the final frame, assisting on DeBrusk’s power play tally before netting his go-ahead and empty net tallies. But he also indirectly factored into Frederic’s second of the series amid a tense exchange with Bertuzzi.

With all eyes on Marchand, the Bruins reaped the benefits of their captain leading by example. He kept a steady presence as the Bruins persevered through a sluggish start, penalty trouble and defensive lapses to set the stage for a clutch third-period performance.

“The way he talks and the way he keeps us engaged in what we need to do in a given situation whatever it calls for…he’s always on top of that,” Charlie Coyle told the media. “It goes beyond the play on the ice, which was exceptional tonight. It’s on the bench, the locker room, and his all-around character.”

Conversely, the Leafs had a different response to Marchand’s engagement level.

More often than not, Toronto received the benefit of the doubt, drawing five power play opportunities to Boston’s three. But the top soundbites out of the Leafs camp didn’t involve their 0-for-5 outing on the power play or any other performance-based outcome. Instead, their comments centered around Marchand getting under the Leafs’ skin.

“He’s a world-class player both in ability and how he plays. His gamesmanship and everything is world-class,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said. 

“He’s been in the league long enough, as you can see; he gets calls. It’s unbelievable how it goes. You’ve got to play through that stuff. I don’t think there’s another player in this series that gets away with getting a stick between Bertuzzi’s legs the way he does. There’s not one other player in this series that gets away with that, but he does. It’s an art, and he’s elite at it.”

Bertuzzi transitions from fan favorite to villain.

Like Marchand, Bertuzzi developed a knack for being an agitating but skilled forward. Given their traits on and off the ice, the two generated a healthy bond as teammates and foes.

At this time last year, Bertuzzi dazzled as one of Boston’s top performers in the first-round series with Florida. A mere 12 months later, after signing a one-year deal with Toronto in the off-season, he developed into a series villain.

Bertuzzi received his share of boos when he touched the puck in Boston. Come Game 5; the boo birds may very well intensify after his noteworthy exchange with Marchand and subsequent infraction against Coyle during the end of the second period.

“We got along great when we were teammates, and also off the ice, we have similar interests,” Marchand told the media of Bertuzzi. “When you’re in the playoffs and playing against each other, that all goes out the window.”

With friendship aside, for now, the Bruins cashed in twice on Bertuzzi’s errors in judgment. The former Red Wing bounced back to net Toronto’s tying marker in the third, only to watch Marchand and Swayman deliver in crunch time.

It’s time to ride Swayman.

The Bruins had every reason to rotate Swayman and Linus Ullmark into playoff duty right away.

Swayman and Ullmark performed admirably during their respective appearances. Unlike Swayman in Game 1, Ullmark didn’t receive enough offensive support, resulting in a wasted Game 2 effort.

The rotation continued into Game 3. 

Swayman remained poised, making multiple timely stops on primary and secondary bids in high-danger scoring areas on the power play and during 5v5 play.

The fourth-year netminder stopped 157 of 163 shots in his five starts against a potent Toronto attack. Given Swayman’s impressive track record against the Leafs, the Bruins should temporarily halt their rotational schedule.

But Swayman knows nothing is a given, especially this time of year.

“I’m never going to expect anything,” Swayman told the press. “I’m going to earn it.”