Marchand's goal fuels Bruins' record surge
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}BOSTON -- Brad Marchand scored a record-setting goal Monday night for the Boston Bruins, and it fueled a record-breaking onslaught in a 5-2 victory against the Vancouver Canucks in Game 6 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final.
The Bruins scored four goals in 4:14, the fastest quartet of goals by one team in the history of the Stanley Cup Final. Marchand got it all started with his ninth goal of the postseason at 5:31 of the opening period at TD Garden.
"I think he's been incredibly important. He's been one of our best players I think the whole playoffs," Rich Peverley said. "He's scored some very timely goals. For a rookie to come in and be as poised as he is and bring that type of energy level, we're very lucky to have him."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Marchand's 9 goals is the new standard in Bruins history for a rookie in a postseason. It is also more than all but three rookies in the history of the League. Only Dino Ciccarelli (14 in 1981), Jeremy Roenick (11 in 1990) and Claude Lemieux (10 in 1986) have registered more playoff goals as a first-year player.
His total for the Bruins this postseason surpasses the eight scored by Mike Krushelnyski in 1983 and Bobby Joyce in 1988.
"It is a nice little stat to keep in the back of my mind," Marchand said of the record. "That's not what I was going for coming into the playoffs. I just wanted to help the team win any way I can. It is nice to contribute."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Bruins chased Roberto Luongo with three goals on eight shots, and Marchand got the rout started. Mark Recchi chipped the puck off the right wall past defenseman Christian Ehrhoff near the Vancouver blue line and Marchand collected it.
He charged down the right wing and snapped a shot above Luongo's left shoulder before Ehrhoff's defense partner, Sami Salo, could get to him. Luongo went down too early and left Marchand with plenty of room in the top corner to work with.
"It was more of an instinctive shot," Marchand said. "I do that a lot in practice and it was more just instinctive. I knew I wanted to get a shot off quick and on net."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Marchand's ability as a skilled player has earned him plenty of attention, and he's now scored 30 goals in 101 games between the regular season and the playoffs. He's also been in the spotlight a few times for his work as an agitator.
He "dusted" his hands in front of the Vancouver bench at the end of Game 4, and Monday night he punched Daniel Sedin during a post-whistle scrum. It earned him a two-minute minor and a 10-minute misconduct.
"He's a young kid that plays on the edge and sometimes the emotions get the best of him, but when you're young, that's not a bad thing," Recchi said. "I would rather have a kid like that than a kid that plays with no emotion. It's a big part of his game and he's learning. He's learning to corral it when he needs to and when we need a lift, he's learned to go out and do it. That's the sign of a smart, young player who wants to get better and better. You know, it was a huge goal he scored and he emotionally kept on driving for us. It's a great thing. He's such a good kid and it's nice to see him get rewarded but also play an intelligent game tonight. He still played with the edge, but it was on the right side of it."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Tyler Seguin, the team's other first-year player, has not been as consistent. He did spur the Bruins with his play early in the conference finals, scoring six points in two games and helping turn that series in Boston's favor.
It is those types of contributions that have helped the Bruins to within one victory of the Stanley Cup.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Playoffs is all about guys stepping up, and those guys have done that," Michael Ryder said. "It is great to see and that's what you need this time of year in order to win. They've been great for us. We're happy to have them here and they're a big part of this team right now."