After the Bruins’ season came to a disappointing end Sunday night, Brad Marchand couldn’t help but look back at his missed chance to win the first-round Stanley Cup playoff series for Boston.
Late in Game 5 against the Florida Panthers, Marchand found himself in a situation players dream about. With the Bruins and Panthers deadlocked at 3-3, Marchand was all alone on a breakaway in the final seconds of the third period at TD Garden. A goal would have sent Boston to the Eastern Conference semifinals, but Marchand was denied by Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. The Panthers went on to win that contest in overtime, as well as the final two games of the best-of-seven set.
Speaking with the media after the Bruins’ Game 7 loss in sudden death on home ice, Marchand recalled his squandered opportunity.
“It’s a game of inches,” Marchand told reporters, per a team-provided transcript. “I had the game on my stick in Game 5, with a couple of seconds left. Didn’t capitalize and they capitalized on their inches. They dug down one more than we did, one more battle, and that’s it.”
Marchand added the breakaway miss will stick with him “forever.”
Time will tell what the future holds for Marchand the Bruins. A larger leadership role could be on the horizon for the two-time All-Star, as it remains to be seen if Patrice Bergeron will continue to wear the Spoked-B.
