All for grandma: Brad Marchand’s roller coaster weekend

For some players, they spend their Friday nights out with teammates, but for Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand, not only were he and his teammates flying to Toronto following a win over the San Jose Sharks, but he had just received some heavy news: he had received news that his maternal grandmother had passed away, according to Amalie Benjamin of NHL.com.

Many players would take a leave of absence to be with their family, and Marchand very well could soon or further down the road, but as a leader he decided to push through and play anyways and to say it didn’t affect his play is putting it mildly.

In Saturday night’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Bruins were nearly forced to take it to a shootout again like last time, but instead Marchand played spoiler and scored the overtime winner in the game with 7.2 seconds remaining in the extra frame despite the Maple Leafs tying it with under six seconds remaining in regulation.

Then Marchand continued to use his momentum from this game into the game on Sunday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

On Sunday, not only was Boston able to pull off a 3-1 victory over the Blue Jackets, but Marchand tallied a natural hat-trick in the game, the third in Bruins’ history behind Patrice Bergeron and Jake DeBrusk.

Marchand scored his three goals in a matter of 5:50, and put his name in the history books – capping off an emotional weekend for the Halifax, Nova Scotia native.

While it remains to be seen whether or not Marchand takes some time away from the team, it will definitely do the captain some good to know that the team does not play again until Thursday night and that their next two games are at home.

Boston faces off with the Buffalo Sabres at the TD Garden on Thursday, puck drop is at 7 p.m.