Bruins forward Brad Marchand has used the past few days since his team was eliminated in the second round in five games by the Tampa Bay Lightning to reflect on his role in the loss.
Marchand drew national attention and a reprimand from the NHL after he was caught licking the face of Lightning forward Ryan Callahan during a confrontation in the Lightning’s 4-3 overtime Game 4 win that pushed the Bruins to the brink of elimination.
For Marchand Carlton Davis Jersey , who scored 34 goals during the regular season and represented the Bruins at the All-Star Game, the licking incident added to his list of infractions. He has been suspended by the NHL six times and fined three.
Now Marchand is thinking about cleaning up his act.
”After having a couple days kind of looking back on the year and seeing what’s happened the last few days I guess, with all the media and everything, I think the biggest thing for me now is to really take a pretty hard look in the mirror and realize the actions, some of the things that I’m doing, have much bigger consequences,” Marchand said during the Bruins’ breakup day at the Warrior Ice Arena on Wednesday.
”Especially the last thing I ever want to do is kind of bring the embarrassment on my teammates and the organization that it did. I have to be a lot better. I know I’ve said that in the past, but I think that that’s got to be the thing that I really work on the most.
”I think I’ve gotten my game into a pretty decent spot, but I got some character things and things that I’ve done that clearly need some fixing.”
The Bruins may not have to change much despite coming up short in their quest for their first Stanley Cup since 2011. They won 50 games for the 10th time in franchise history and finished second in the Eastern Conference, one point behind Tampa Bay.
They went 14-0-4 from Dec. 16 to Jan. 25, which was their longest point streak since they went 18 games (13 wins, five ties) without a loss from Dec. 28, 1968 to Feb. 5, 1969 and tied for the second-longest point streak in team history.
One year after losing in the first round of the playoffs to the Ottawa Senators Ronald Jones II Jersey , the Bruins defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games in the first round and advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
They accomplished this while losing 304 regular-season man games to injury and integrating five rookies to the lineup.
”We started with some injuries as you saw. … But then we got most of our guys back and we started playing with a full lineup and it showed on the ice. We were slowly and surely climbing the standings,” Bruins captain Zdeno Chara said.
”We faced some challenges about three-fourths into season again with some injuries, still we had guys filling the gaps and the roles and we kept finding ways to win games. So that’s very positive about this team and resiliency and never-give-up attitude.”
Many Bruins players were still coming to terms with being eliminated.
Several others, including Patrice Bergeron (groin), David Backes (concussion), Torey Krug (fractured ankle) and Marchand (groin), were dealing with injuries as often happens with Cup contending teams this far into the playoffs.
But to a man they were confident that there are better things ahead for the Bruins, who have seven unrestricted free agents among the 26 players that finished the season on their roster.
”I think the thing that we’re excited about next year is we have a lot of the team returning, which is huge. It was a big learning experience for the young guys that came in,” Marchand said.
”A lot of highs and lows so it should be a learning experience for them, and same with us (the veterans), we can always draw a lot from each and every year. … So hopefully we can all bring the benefits from this season into next year and be even better.”
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More NHL hockey: Cody Bellinger hit a grand slam to break a scoreless tie in the sixth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the sinking New York Mets 5-2 on Friday night behind Alex Wood’s effective pitching.
Yasiel Puig added a solo home run in the ninth, and the defending NL champions won their 10th straight against the Mets dating to May 2016. Los Angeles has outscored New York 75-20 in those games, winning each of the past eight by at least three runs – a first in Dodgers history against any opponent Jordan Howard Jersey Youth , according to STATS.
Wood (3-5) outdueled Zack Wheeler (2-6), allowing two runs and six hits in six innings to win his second consecutive start. The left-hander with the funky delivery struck out seven and walked one.
Kenley Jansen fanned two in a perfect ninth for his 19th save.
New York wasted a dazzling catch by center fielder Michael Conforto that saved a run in the third. After starting the season 11-1, the Mets lost for the 21st time in 27 games to fall a season-worst 11 games under .500.
RED SOX 14, MARINERS 10
BOSTON (AP) – J.D. Martinez homered and drove in five, and Boston rallied from a five-run deficit to beat Seattle despite a monster game from Nelson Cruz.
Cruz had a pair of three-run homers and drove in seven, but the Mariners still lost their season-worst fifth straight game, including three earlier this week at Yankee Stadium. Seattle led 4-0 and 10-5 before a wild Red Sox rally fueled by RBIs from eight different players.
Martinez went 4 for 5, including a two-run homer in the sixth and two doubles.
Reliever Matt Barnes (1-2) got the win with one scoreless inning. Juan Nicasio (1-4) took the loss, allowing five runs on four hits in one-third of a lousy seventh inning.
The only flaw to the second half of the game for Boston: shortstop Xander Bogaerts left in the seventh with a sprained index finger on his left hand.
ORIOLES 10, BRAVES 7, 15 INNINGS
ATLANTA (AP) – Manny Machado hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the 15th inning after each team staged dramatic ninth-inning rallies.
The Braves surrendered six runs in the ninth, and then scored four times in the bottom of the inning.
Peter Moylan, Atlanta’s eighth pitcher, hit Craig Gentry to open the 15th. Gentry moved to second on Austin Wynns‘ sacrifice.
With first base open Cheap Jaire Alexander Jersey , the Braves pitched to Machado and the slugger lined his 19th homer into the Orioles‘ bullpen. Moylan (0-1) gave up another run on singles by Colby Rasmus and Jonathan Schoop.
Mike Wright Jr. (1-0), Baltimore’s seventh pitcher, threw two scoreless innings.
REDS 6, CUBS 3
CINCINNATI (AP) – Eugenio Suarez hit a go-ahead homer off Jose Quintana in the fifth inning, and Cincinnati held on for its fifth straight victory.
The Reds have won the first two games in the series, a recent rarity in the rivalry. It’s only the second time in the last two years that they’ve won back-to-back games in a series against the Cubs. Chicago is 43-21 against Cincinnati over the last four seasons.
Suarez’s two-run shot in the fifth inning off Quintana (6-6) gave him a team-high 16 homers and put the Reds ahead 4-3.
Javier Baez drove in a run with a bunt single off Luis Castillo (5-8), and Kyle Schwarber followed with a two-run homer, his third in four games. Castillo went 5 2/3 innings for his first victory since May 24, ending a streak of four straight losses.
Raisel Iglesias retired the side in the ninth for his 12th save in 14 chances.
BREWERS 2, CARDINALS 1
MILWAUKEE (AP) – Jesus Aguilar homered to break up rookie Jack Flaherty’s no-hit bid in the seventh inning, then homered again in the ninth to lift Milwaukee over St. Louis.
Both teams got just three hits. The benches and bullpens briefly cleared in the eighth after Eric Sogard slid into St. Louis shortstop Yairo Munoz, who caught a wide throw on a bunt play in the eighth.
Cardinals reliever Bud Norris (3-2) started the ninth by striking out Travis Shaw. Aguilar followed with a drive an opposite-field drive to right for his 16th home run.
Corey Knebel (1-0) pitched the ninth for the NL Central leaders.
PHILLIES 12, NATIONALS 2
WASHINGTON (AP) – Odubel Herrera homered for the fifth straight game and finished with four hits, helping Philadelphia rout Washington.
Herrera hit a tiebreaking two-run shot in the third for his 13th homer Jarvis Landry Browns Jersey , matching the club record for consecutive games with a long ball. He has connected in six of his last seven overall.
Herrera is hitting .472 (17 for 36) with six homers, 11 runs and 10 RBIs in his last eight games.
Carlos Santana homered and drove in four runs for Philadelphia, which has won five of six. Santana delivered a two-run single in the first, a two-run homer in the sixth and walked twice.
Zach Eflin (5-2) allowed baserunners in every inning except the first, but limited the damage to two runs over five innings to win his fourth straight start.
Washington’s Tanner Roark (3-8) gave up six runs in 4 1/3 innings.
RAYS 2, YANKEES 1
ST. PETERSBURG. Fla. (AP) – Six Tampa Bay pitchers combined on a five-hitter, and Tampa Bay beat New York.
Utilizing a bullpen day, the Rays improved to 14-31 against teams with a .500 or better record with the victory over the team with the majors’ best record.
Winner Ryan Yarbrough (6-3) entered in the second and allowed one hit in 3 1/3 scoreless innings. Sergio Romo worked the ninth for his fifth save in nine chances.
Willy Adames put the Rays ahead 1-0 with a run-scoring single off CC Sabathia (4-3) in the fourth. Sabathia allowed two runs and nine hits in 5 1/3 innings.
ANGELS 2, BLUE JAYS 1