Photo credit: The Hockey News
Bruins captain Brad Marchand comments on the Maple Leafs improvement
The Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs have been fierce rivals for years now, but Bruins captain Brad Marchand has noticed a major difference with Toronto lately.
After two games in their first-round playoff series, it appears as though Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand is getting more than he bargained for from the Toronto Maple Leafs, even admitting to the media that the team is ‘built different' than in recent years."They're playing a really good, playoff-type game right now," he said Tuesday. "You knew they would. They're built different than in the past years. They're playing a lot more physical, very committed to forechecking, playing very tight defensively. So, you've got to give them credit. They're one of the top teams for a reason. And then when you add their offensive ability on top of that, they're a tough team to play right now.
"We're seeing it. ... It's a very tight playoff series. We knew it was going to be a battle. They've shown up. They're playing for keeps. It's a good challenge."
"We're seeing it. ... It's a very tight playoff series. We knew it was going to be a battle. They've shown up. They're playing for keeps. It's a good challenge."
A lot of that comes down to some of the summer pickups from Brad Treliving, with Ryan Reaves, Max Domi and others contributing to the Maple Leafs new style of play. No matter how different they're built, that doesn't make the playoffs easy however, and after a 5-1 win in game one, it's clear that this team is still prone to some lapses in net.
They bounced back well in game two with three points and the game winning goal to Auston Matthews, and if Toronto keep rolling the way they have, they may finally be ready to go on the deep playoff run that's been expected of them for years and years.
Source: The Score
Marchand: Maple Leafs 'built different' than past years
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