Brad Marchand Goes off on Canucks to Move into NHL Lead for Goals

Facing Brad Marchand is often a traumatic experience for the Vancouver Canucks. That was no different Monday night.

After tying the game earlier in the third frame, Marchand stripped Canucks captain Henrik Sedin, put the biscuit through the legs of Alex Edler and beat Ryan Miller with a backhand off the post and in. The Bruins went on to win 6-3, with Marchand completing the second hat trick of his career into an empty net while also adding a helper in the first period for a four-point night.

The absurd display of skill and tenacity on his second goal wasn't just visually appealing, it had some substance to it, too. With the Bruins in the midst of an insanely tight Eastern Conference race—one that sees Boston, the Maple Leafs, Islanders, and Lightning battling it out for the last couple playoff spots—the team got two points it desperately needed and now sits four up on Toronto for third in the Atlantic, and five up on the Islanders and Tampa Bay.

This certainly isn't the first time Canucks fans have been forced to suffer at the hands of Marchand, who absolutely went off while leading the Bruins to a 2011 Stanley Cup victory over Vancouver. During the five-game series, a then-23-year-old Marchand was a menace on the ice, scoring five goals and seven points in the series, including a three-point effort in Game 5 as the Bruins and their super-pest hoisted the Cup on Vancouver's home ice.

Marchand is now tied with Sidney Crosby for the NHL lead with 35 goals, two back of his career high of 37 in 2015-16. With his four points on the night, Marchand (74) sits just one back (tied with Crosby) of overall points leader Connor McDavid (75)—assuring that one of the tightest scoring races in recent memory will truly go down to the wire. Patrick Kane (73), Evgeni Malkin (72), and Brent Burns (70) are also all within striking distance of McDavid for the Art Ross.

After putting up a career-high 61 points last season and already surpassing that total by 13 points with 13 games remaining this year, Marchand is proving (yet again) that the pest-turned-sniper has truly evolved into one of the game's biggest threats.