This one detail regarding Brad Marchand is driving Leafs fans crazy
The Boston Bruins are firmly in control of their 1st round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and there's one Brad Marchand stat in these playoffs that may blow your mind.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have had a tough time getting anything going against the Boston Bruins in their 1st round series and a big reason for that is the Leafs' floundering power play. The team is currently 1-for-14 with the man advantage. Tough to win a series if you can't convert in the power play.
With all of the power play attempts the Leafs have had over the course of this series so far, it might shock you to learn that Brad Marchand is basically immune from penalty calls in the playoffs. No, that's not a joke, as much as it sounds like one. The stats back up that story.
Through 4 games thus far, Marchand has yet to take a single penalty against the Maple Leafs. Yes, you read that correctly. Brad Marchand has zero penalty minutes through 4 games against the Leafs, while throwing low-bridge hits like this right in the neutral zone on the puck carrier:
Or this clear trip with the Leafs' net empty:
Or this hook AND this trip as Bertuzzi and Marchand vacate the Leafs' zone:
The Leafs have been bad on the power play, yes. But there's no denying that these are clear infractions by Marchand and should have been called regardless. A couple of these calls, if made, would have negated Bruins goals, which could have changed the outcome of games in this series.
Honestly, I can't say I'm surprised. We know that Marchand gets special treatment from the officials and we also know that officials tend to give other teams more of a benefit of the doubt than they seem to give Maple Leafs players. Still, it's made for a frustrating series, and that's putting it mildly.
Marchand is one of the dirtiest players in the league and to see him get away with this crap each and every game has become both predictable and tiresome.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 30 | 612 ANSWERS This one detail regarding Brad Marchand is driving Leafs fans crazy Does Brad Marchand get away with more than any other player in the NHL? | ||
| Yes, he's infuriating to play against | 531 | 86.8 % |
| No, it's just been a bad series for the officials | 20 | 3.3 % |
| No, Marchand knows where the line is | 61 | 10 % |
| List of polls | ||
