Game 3 between the Bruins and the Maple Leafs was a fast-paced, thrilling 60 minutes that included the rivalry between these two teams heating up. Brad Marchand and Tyler Bertuzzi were at the center of a play that had Toronto’s coach masking criticism of the referees as praise for Boston’s captain.
Bertuzzi and Marchand got tangled up with one another at center ice in the first period. Bertuzzi got tripped up, but there was no call on Marchand. Other Maple Leafs were occupied about what was going on between the former teammates, which allowed Trent Frederic to score the first goal in the Bruins’ ultimate 4-2 win to take a 2-1 series lead.
While Sheldon Keefe and Matthew Knies criticized Marchand for how he played Wednesday, Bertuzzi was a bit more reserved in his comments. “That stuff’s gonna happen,” Bertuzzi told reporters in Toronto after the game . “It’s just normal. I mean, he’s a great player. It’s what he does. He’s been doing it for a long time. So, I don’t expect it to stop.”
Bertuzzi, for what it’s worth, has been known to toe the line, get under players’ skins and has played a similar game to Marchand over the course of his career. He also appeared to get away with a penalty after holding Marchand’s stick at one point in Game 3.
The duo have been going at each other all series with crosschecks, slashes and chirps. The Bruins captain said he and Bertuzzi, who were teammates for a brief time last season, get along great off the ice. But “it all goes out the window” when it comes to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Toronto has bigger issues to deal with than Marchand, though, after going 0-for-5 on the power play. Both teams have the next two days off before returning to Scotiabank Arena for Game 4 on Saturday night.
