The Boston Bruins are the best team in the National Hockey League because they have everything. That includes plenty of sandpaper and salt.

And that could be huge for the team’s longtime Salt Miner In Chief, Brad Marchand.

Just in time for the start of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Marchand broke a 16-game goal drought and totaled four points (one goal, three assists) in his final two regular season games. The B’s have always counted on Marchand to bring his unique mix of scoring and agitation to the table, especially in the playoffs.

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  Mar 23, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) punches Montreal Canadiens center Rem Pitlick (32) during the first period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports

• But, thanks to their additions at the 2023 trade deadline, Marchand can focus heavily on the scoring part. I mean, he can start licking faces if he wants, but he doesn’t have to. The likes of Garnet Hathaway, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Dmitry Orlov can take care of that.

  Hathaway, in particular, is a guy the Bruins are surely glad to have on their side. He was something of a nemesis back in the Bruins’ first-round playoff series against the Capitals in 2021. He should be considered the favorite on the team to deliver the most thunderous hits in this year’s opening-round matchup against the Florida Panthers.

  From the day he was traded to Boston, Hathaway dished out 70 hits in 25 games, third-most among all right-shot forwards. He brings a combination of size and physicality that the B’s have relatively lacked in recent playoff runs, and GM Don Sweeney apparently wanted to correct that for 2023.

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  Feb 28, 2023; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Boston Bruins right wing Garnet Hathaway (21) and Calgary Flames defenseman Dennis Gilbert (48) get into a scrum during the second period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

• Bertuzzi, meanwhile, is simply a pain in the ass to play against. It’s likely his locker is next to Marchand’s for a reason. Same cloth.

  Formerly a top agitator for the Detroit Red Wings who once started a line brawl with Marchand & Co. by himself, Bertuzzi has focused more on developing his offensive role within his new team, so he hasn’t sprinkled a ton of salt. But he’s certainly found that scoring game recently. Bertuzzi closed out the regular season with 10 points in his final seven games, often in a second-line role.

• 👊BRAWL TIME👊
  
  Brad Marchand and Tyler Bertuzzi get the brawl started that saw #NHLBruins Tuukka Rask TRY TO FIGHT #LGRW Jimmy Howard pic.twitter.com/8mDmVmlQSH

  — Boston Bruins on CLNS (@BruinsCLNS) December 2, 2018

• Likely to bump down to the third line in a full lineup, Bertuzzi should be poised to show a little more of that nasty. But his game has always translated well to the playoffs. Tenacious forechecking. An ability to find inside ice, or to feed open teammates in those areas. That was a big reason the Bruins got him at the trade deadline in the first place.

  “That’s where you win hockey games,” Neely said Sunday. “It’s tough to win on the perimeter, and our group has done a really good job of battling for that inside ice, and those guys [we added at the deadline] have certainly helped and added to that group.”

• Tyler took care of it. pic.twitter.com/bOdiKPmLJh

  — Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) April 12, 2023

• Orlov was also granted “villain” status in that series against the Capitals two years ago, when he left his feet to deliver a high hit on defenseman Kevan Miller. Orlov only received a double-minor penalty for the play.

  But fast-forward to Monday, and once again, the B’s are happy to have that guy wearing a spoked ‘B’ instead of a panther on his sweater. Orlov stands at 5-foot-11, but he’s heavy at 214 pounds, and can be a wrecking ball if needed.

  If and when Orlov is paired with fellow truck-sticker Charlie McAvoy, the Panthers are going to need to keep their heads up and their feet off the tracks. Or the pair will make people pay.

• Dmitry Orlov received a double minor for this hit on Kevan Miller. pic.twitter.com/BCovE4UgHw

  — Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 22, 2021

• Of course, the Bruins ideally keep their act together and avoid crossing the line. The same can be said of the Panthers, who have the game’s most dynamic power forward in Matthew Tkachuk, a guy known for delivering crushing hits as much as goals.

  Forward Ryan Lomberg and defenseman Radko Gudas can also fall into that category. These three are most likely to become the villains of this series.

  This is a long way of saying, Marchand may not have to enter the fray as much as he has in the past. Sweeney made sure to add guys who can shoulder some of that workload, if not all of it. Marchand’s excited to have perhaps the deepest, most versatile lineup he’s ever had around him, and a team that can win any type of game. If they need to burrow under some skin, Marchand knows he has plenty of backup.

  “We have a lot of depth, a lot of skill, guys that can play physical, so we kind of have a mixed bag,” Marchand said Sunday. “When you have guys on each line that can play a big, heavy game, and that are physical, that are fast, that have that talent, it does kind of lend us the ability to play any style. But we’ve tried to kind of carve out our own and play the same way each night, and be consistent.

  “That’s what we try to do. We don’t try to change our game to play to anybody else. We more just try to play the way we play, make teams adapt to us. It’s been a good recipe so far.”

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  Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff and follow him on Instagram @realmattdolloff. Check out all of Matt’s content here.

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