Brad Marchand made a surprise return to the Boston Bruins lineup on Thursday night -- a full month ahead of his projected timetable.
It didn't take long for Marchand to make a huge impact, either. The superstar left winger scored two goals and picked up an assist as the Bruins beat the Detroit Red Wings 5-1 at TD Garden. The victory improved Boston's record to an NHL-best 7-1-0.
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"You could tell he was a little rusty in the beginning,” Bruin head coach Jim Montgomery said. "He wasn't handling pucks cleanly. And boy, the last 30 minutes, that was special."
Marchand was mostly his old self Thursday night. He was dangling through opponents, fighting for 50-50 pucks and being aggressive in the attacking zone.
“It's amazing how he comes up with pucks,” Montgomery said. “Like the pucks in between three bodies and he's like a little Tasmanian Devil -- he's twirling all around and the puck just seems to follow him. It’s amazing. He tracks it. He fights for it. He’ll bite your leg off for it. And that's why you love him."
A Tasmanian Devil? Someone who will bite your leg off for the puck?
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That's a humorous and accurate way to describe Marchand's intense determination every time he hops over the boards.
Few players pursue the puck with as much tenacity as Marchand. And when he does retrieve possession of the puck, the veteran forward has the elite offensive skill to rack up goals and assists. He has led the Bruins in scoring the past two seasons and five of the last six.
The Bruins already ranked among the highest-scoring teams in the first seven games without Marchand. Now that the league's best all-around left wing is back in the B's lineup, they have a chance to be the deepest and most potent offensive team in hockey.
It's been a while since the Bruins could be described like that.