Marchand Shares Strong Opinion on the Bruins' Schedule

BY DORIN CANADAY

Despite owning a 59-12-5 record and sitting atop the NHL standings, Brad Marchand recently shared a strong opinion regarding the Bruins schedule.

Marchand has been around for a long time, and he knows just how grinding the NHL schedule is, and judging by their recent stretch, the veteran makes a good point.

The Bruins played game 14 out of 15 in a tough stretch has that saw them play 15 games in 25 days. They're current back-to-back in Pittsburgh and St. Louis mark five straight weekends in which Boston plays on Saturday and Sunday.

Toughest He's Ever Played?

Scott McLaughlin of WEEI spoke to Marchand after the loss to Nashville earlier this week and asked if the schedule is catching up to the team yet. To which the winger shared a pretty blunt response, according to McLaughlin:

''Yeah, I think a little bit. This is probably the toughest schedule I've ever seen or been a part of,'' Marchand said.

As a veteran of 941 NHL games, the 34-year-old knows what it takes to stay in shape and at his best throughout an 82-game campaign. It's amazing that after almost 15 years in the league, Marchand finds this one the toughest (or maybe, he's just getting old).

Boston will have one more back-to-back weekend set against the Devils and Flyers next Saturday and Sunday, as well.