Brad Marchand is a very good hockey player -- great, even -- but he can't do a whole lot for the Boston Bruins when he's sitting in the penalty box.
The Bruins were able to send the Washington Capitals packing after just five games in their Stanley Cup playoff first round-series. That was despite the fact Marchand took at least one penalty in all but one game of the series.
Of course, Marchand was fantastic when he was on the ice. He scored three goals, two on the power play, while continuing to be an integral part of Boston's top line. But he could have contributed even more had he not spent 10 minutes in the box for penalties that sometimes lacked a little bit of discipline.
Marchand reining that in will be a focal point in the next series against either the Pittsburgh Penguins or the New York Islanders. The fiery winger is at his best when he walks that line, but it's a very thin line. Bruins general manager Don Sweeney understands that, but he also wants to make sure his best players are on the ice when it matters most.
"You guys know as well as I do, he's highly competitive," Sweeney said Monday during a video media session. "He's going to get pushed, and he's going to push back and he's gonna occupy his space and territory, and he got caught a couple of times."
That led the Bruins -- including captain and linemate Patrice Bergeron -- to remind Marchand of his importance to the team.
"We all had communication with him. Bergy, in particular, had communication with him in understanding the importance he has to our hockey club when he's on the ice as opposed to off the ice when he's in the penalty box," Sweeney added. "He's (also) one of our key penalty killers."
Marchand wasn't alone in spending too much time in the box. Boston took 21 minor penalties against Washington, which is playing with fire against the third-ranked power play in the regular season. The Bruins, to their credit, stymied the Capitals' power play, limiting the Caps to three power-play tallies.
All things being equal, though, they'd rather not take their chances moving forward.
"We have to exercise a little more of that (discipline)," Sweeney said. "Being in the box 21 times in five games is too much."
