Need to Know: Bruins vs. Maple Leafs

BOSTON - Brad Marchand has not had his eyes trained on the standings.
The winger said he was not aware - and, frankly, did not care - that the Bruins (68) and Maple Leafs (59) boasted the two highest point totals in the National Hockey League.
What Marchand does care about, however, is that two good teams, both of whom have goals of playing deep into the spring, will be squaring off on Saturday night at TD Garden.

"To be honest with you, I haven't looked [at the standings]. I don't really know where we are point-wise compared to them. To be honest, I don't really care," Marchand said following Saturday's optional morning skate at Warrior Ice Arena.
"It doesn't change the fact, where we are, that they're a really good team. We know that. They beat us earlier in the season. It's always very tough to play them. They have a ton of talent, they're always a really good team. They're always gonna be a really good contending team come playoff time.
"The points, I kind of get away from that now. We obviously have a great team. But nowadays it's not so much about the points as it is the process, how we're gonna build, how we're gonna continue to find ways to get better, how we're gonna learn from our mistakes."
Following Thursday's loss to the Seattle Kraken, the B's first on home ice in regulation this season, Marchand said the Bruins must embrace the chance to continue their strong trend of bouncing back after a defeat (8-0-0).
"Last game is an example of us not being prepared to play the way we need to be each night," said Marchand. "This is another opportunity, regardless of where we are in the standings, it's an opportunity for us to show that we're a good team, that we know how to bounce back, we know how to play against good teams as well. It's an exciting opportunity for our group."

Boston knows that the Maple Leafs are much improved in their own end this season, ranking third in the NHL in goals against per game (2.60) behind the Bruins (2.15) and Stars (2.58). The Black & Gold saw that firsthand in early November when Toronto held them to just one goal in a 2-1 setback at Scotiabank Arena.
"As a team, I think they do a really good job of having layers and pressuring quickly," said coach Jim Montgomery. "On defense, I think in particular, they use their feet really well to check well. They take away your time and space with their feet first which is the most important thing you do defensively. I think they have numbers at the net that help on the box outs."
In Marchand's view, Toronto - which is also coming off a loss (4-1 to Detroit on Thursday) - in large part thanks to its improved defensive structure, has put itself in prime position for postseason success.
"They've definitely gotten better [defensively] over the last number of years…they're definitely improving," said Marchand. "They're a legit contender this year. I've said that the last few years and it hasn't gone their way but every year you go through adversity like they have, you learn a lot from it. They've done that. Their stars are another year older and stronger and better. They're a very dangerous team."
As such, Marchand said that the Bruins have all the motivation they need to get back in the win column on Saturday night.
"It's a matter of time for them where they're gonna make a really good push and they're gonna go deep. They're just too talented," he said. "You want to play against competitive teams. I think with our group, we have a lot of really competitive guys who want to win. To win and be the best, you have to beat the best.
"It makes it more fun playing against teams like Toronto who are really competitive and have star players that you want to go up and you want to compete against, and you want to beat them. It always makes it a lot of fun."

Wait, There's More

Saturday's Projected Lineup

FORWARDS
Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - David Pastrnak
Taylor Hall - David Krejci - Craig Smith
Pavel Zacha - Charlie Coyle - Trent Frederic
Nick Foligno - Tomas Nosek - A.J. Greer
DEFENSEMEN
Matt Grzelcyk - Charlie McAvoy
Hampus Lindholm - Brandon Carlo
Derek Forbort - Connor Clifton
GOALIES
Linus Ullmark
Jeremy Swayman