Boston Bruins Forward Brad Marchand Tied for League-Lead in Goals After Scoring Hat Trick Against Vancouver Canucks
Brad Marchand is tied with Sidney Crosby for the most goals in the NHL with 35 goals this season. With a hat trick scored against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday, Marchand tied the Penguins’ star and now sits just two goals away from his career-high of 37 goals which he scored just one season ago.
Marchand has been hot all season. With 74 points on the year, Marchand is also closing in on the league-lead in points in the NHL. The competition at the top is steep with Connor McDavid, Crosby, Patrick Kane, Evgeni Malkin and Brent Burns giving him the most competition. It’s clear that Marchand is among the elite in the league, but when his name is compared to the names mentioned above, it really starts to provide some perspective on how good he truly is.
More Than an Offensive Force
On top of his offensive ability, Marchand is also an elite two-way player. While he’ll never get the full credit for his ability due to his questionable antics at times, there’s still no reason to believe he won’t garner some first-place votes for the Hart Trophy at season’s end. He’s come a long way from being a fourth-line player in his first season with the Bruins, and he’s developed into a true leader in the Bruins locker room.
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Marchand is looking to score 40-goals for the first time in his career. At the rate he’s been scoring, that total should be easily within his reach, and he could even finish the season with some extra padding on that total as well. While most teams hate to play against Marchand for a variety of reasons, he’s cementing his legacy as one of the all-time great Bruins – something that shouldn’t be taken lightly given the illustrious history of the franchise.
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For the Bruins, Marchand has come up big all year. With a legitimate push to the playoffs in sight, he will remain the focal point of their game plan moving forward. Only time will tell if the team will qualify for the post-season for the first time in three years, but if Marchand has anything to say about it, the Bruins will make it and will give the rest of the Atlantic Division a really difficult time in the process.