Bruins
“This time of year, you have to want to be part of it, and you have to want to make a difference.”
Brad Marchand has a whopping 150 games of playoff reps under his belt.
With his one-timer that sailed into twine on Saturday night, Boston’s captain has lit the lamp 56 times during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. No Bruins player has scored more goals during postseason play.
Experience is a coveted asset during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with teams putting a premium on seasoned veterans who have already trudged through the physical and mental toll needed to etch one’s name on hockey’s most coveted prize.
But for all of his accolades on hockey’s highest stage, Marchand doesn’t always believe that experience is the great equalizer when it comes to delivering in the playoffs.
Because when the 35-year-old Marchand hoisted the Stanley Cup in 2011, he was a 23-year-old rookie — unburdened by the pressure that understandably builds over the years as NHLers press for a sought-after title.
Thirteen years later, Boston’s elder statesmen sees another Bruins rookie following a similar script during playoff action in 23-year-old defenseman Mason Lohrei.
“I remember my first run, it’s pure adrenaline,” Marchand said after Boston’s 3-1 win over the Maple Leafs in Game 4. “You get out there and you’re so excited that you finally have the opportunity. You’ve worked your entire life and you play this game, and the hours and time you put in, to have an opportunity to play for a Stanley Cup.
“And that’s right there in front of you. And it’s just pure adrenaline. … Mason has come in and played unbelievable for us. He’s made a lot of really good plays, jumping up in the play. He’s battling hard, he’s making strong plays defensively. So it’s great to see.”
Pressed into playoff action following an injury to Andrew Peeke and a scratched Matt Grzelcyk, Lohrei played a key role in Boston’s victory on Saturday — recording a primary helper on James van Riemsdyk’s opening tally while logging 17:36 of ice time.
“Just how assertive he was,” Jim Montgomery said Sunday of what stood out about Lohrei’s play in Game 4. “I mean, he was so good last night. With the puck, without the puck, he was all over the ice making plays and obviously a big part of why we won.”
It doesn’t take very long to see why Lohrei is regarded as Boston’s top player in its prospect pipeline.
His shot-first approach and playmaking poise as a defenseman may not be a complete outlier in today’s skill-heavy NHL. But few D-men can walk the blue and generate Grade-A looks while also boasting a sturdy 6-foot-5, 211-pound frame that should continue to fill out in time.
After a quieter Game 3 showing at Scotiabank Arena, Lohrei made an immediate impact in the first period of Saturday’s win.
A heads-up play from the rookie set Boston’s first goal in motion, with Lohrei pinching up from the offensive blue line as Toronto bruiser Ryan Reaves tried to corral a puck along the boards.
Lohrei’s pinch prompted Reaves to fling the puck under duress, leading to a turnover in Grade-A ice that van Riemsdyk promptly slipped past Ilya Samsonov to put Boston on the board at 15:09 in the first period.
It was a heady play by Boston’s young defenseman, whose confidence was validated earlier in the period when he tried to beat Samsonov with a slick, between-the-legs attempt during 4-on-4 play.
Lohrei’s creativity with the puck on his stick is welcomed during the postseason. But to remain in the lineup, he’ll need to continue to make the right reads, avoid turnovers against forechecking pressure and limit how many quality chances are generated in front of Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark.
But through two games, the rookie seems to be up to the task.
“This time of year, you have to want to be part of it, and you have to want to make a difference,” Marchand said. “And we just seem to have that in the group right now. … Him and Johnny (Beecher) and Parker (Wotherspoon) have been incredible for us. And I think it’s just because they’re going out and playing and have that belief in themselves.”
Forbort getting closer
Derek Forbort was not cleared for Games 3 and 4 in Toronto this week, but the 32-year-old defenseman did take part in warmups leading into Saturday’s win.
Montgomery noted that the team will assess Forbort’s availability for Game 5 following Monday’s practice. But his participation in warmups checked off another box in Forbort’s recovery after undergoing surgery in March.
“It’s to get him in the routine in case he becomes an option,” Montgomery said of Forbort’s appearance during warmups. “Getting in the routine of how you get ready to play and all those things. Getting around his teammates, hearing the locker-room speak, all that matters to your preparation if you end up being an option down the road.”
As for any clues regarding Boston’s starting goalie in Game 5?
“Figure it out on Tuesday night,” Montgomery noted.
Matthews still laboring with illness
Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe didn’t have a positive update on Toronto star forward Auston Matthews on Sunday. Matthews did not play in the third period of Game 4 on Saturday, with doctors pulling him from the game due to illness.
“We thought the last couple of days would help us,” Keefe told reporters in Toronto on Sunday. “But, for whatever reason, it’s not one of those run-of-the-mill type of illnesses that sort of comes and goes. This one has lingered, and the effects have lingered and gotten worse when he’s got on the ice and is asserting himself.”
Matthews was the best player on the ice for Toronto during the Leafs’ Game 2 win at TD Garden — scoring a goal and two primary assists over 23:24 of ice time while adding eight shots on goal, a team-high six hits, and winning 16 of 23 face-offs.
But Matthews was not able to carry that play over in Games 3 and 4, recording zero points in both losses with a combined four shots on goal.
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