BOSTON — It was already a tall task for the Boston Bruins when they entered the third period in Game 3 trailing by three goals to the Florida Panthers.
But Boston’s assignment got even tougher when Bruins captain Brad Marchand didn’t come out for the final frame after he sustained an upper-body injury in the first period Friday night.
The Bruins didn’t cave without their captain, though. Instead, Boston generated life with a small rally, getting goals from Jakub Lauko and Jake DeBrusk to cut the deficit in half midway through the period before ultimately falling, 6-2, at TD Garden.
To Montgomery, the way the Bruins ramped up their play in the third period — they were lackluster in the first two frames — made it feel like Marchand had never left the ice.
“I thought we rallied because of our captain,” Montgomery said. “I thought (David Pastrnak) and Charlie McAvoy did a great job with him not being on the bench and I thought our players all elevated and we started competing like Brad Marchand would.”
Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman saw things go similarly from his end of the ice. Without Marchand to rely on and trying to get back in the game, Swayman said he believed everyone stepped up to try to fill the sizable void.
“I think our third period was excellent with how we responded without (Marchand),” Swayman said. “And I think we can build our game off that. Looking forward to evening this series our next game.”
Marchand played just 15 shifts due to the injury and although he didn’t generate a shot on net in Game 3, he did dole out five hits. Montgomery didn’t have an update on Marchand’s status following the loss, but said he would have more information Saturday.
The Bruins being without their fiery on-ice leader for an extended period of time would create a headache for Boston. And it would force the Bruins into drumming up a similar response to what they showed in the third period of Game 3.
“We’ve always had a next-man up mentality and injuries happen throughout the playoffs,” DeBrusk said. “He’s probably the toughest guy I know. So, I don’t doubt he’ll do anything he can to get back in as fast as possible. In saying that, I think guys like myself need to be better. I think I just need to get better in general. But us offensive players, especially on special teams, playing both sides of the puck, need to fill that gap.”
