How Brad Marchand Felt About Pat Maroon’s Bruins Debut

Former enemies played their first game together as Bruins teammates Saturday night. Brad Marchand and the Bruins welcomed Pat Maroon to the lineup for a playoff-like tilt in Pittsburgh against the Penguins. It was the first contest in a Black and Gold sweater for Maroon, a pre-deadline trade acquisition by Boston who had been recovering […]

Former enemies played their first game together as Bruins teammates Saturday night.

Brad Marchand and the Bruins welcomed Pat Maroon to the lineup for a playoff-like tilt in Pittsburgh against the Penguins. It was the first contest in a Black and Gold sweater for Maroon, a pre-deadline trade acquisition by Boston who had been recovering from back surgery.

Jim Montgomery thought Maroon was “very effective” in the Bruins’ 6-4 win at PPG Paints Arena. Marchand offered a similarly positive review of the performance after Boston returned to the win column.

“He was great,” Marchand told reporters, per MassLive. “Competed hard. He was great in the room and on the bench. Great guy to have around. I liked his first game. I’m sure I’ll continue to feel better as he goes on and plays more, but a great fit for the group.”

Maroon has that same expectation for himself. The veteran forward is confident his game will round into form as he racks up more appearances with the B’s. Boston, which entered Sunday with a one-game lead atop the Atlantic Division, has two games left on the docket until the Stanley Cup playoffs begin.

Will Maroon be a difference-maker from the get-go in the postseason? Maybe not. But the longer the Bruins play into the spring, the better the chances of Maroon making the kind of impact he had on three Stanley Cup-winning clubs.