It should come as little surprise that the Boston Bruins’ series against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs has been a contentious one.
The real surprise, however, is how much love there also has been between the two teams, particularly involving Brad Marchand.
First, Marchand laid a little lick on Leo Komarov in Game 1, then Kasperi Kapanen tried to return the favor by giving Tim Schaller a smooch in Game 2.
But there has been plenty of bitterness as well, with Morgan Rielly and Marchand swinging their sticks at one another in frustration during Game 3.
On Wednesday, however, Rielly was asked if Marchand is the most annoying player he’s competed against. The Leafs’ defenseman quickly responded with a compliment.
“No, he’s a good player, he has been for a long time and that’s the toughest thing about him is his speed and skill,” Rielly said.
When Marchand was told of the comments Thursday, he smirked and quipped back:
“What a nice guy, eh?”
Marchand then continued: “Nah, I’m just going to play my game, I don’t care how other players view me. He’s being a little nicer than maybe he should be, but I don’t think that I’m that good.”
While there has been plenty of kindness so far, that probably won’t translate to the Air Canada Centre ice Thursday night, with Toronto trying to even the series at two games apiece.
