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Brad Marchand

Bruins forward Brad Marchand checked in for his weekly chat with Mut & Merloni Wednesday afternoon. To hear the interview, go to the Mut & Merloni audio on demand page ^[4].

The Bruins are 3-5-0 and next host the 1-5-2 Canadiens Thursday night in the first game of a home-and-home series. Despite the team’s losing records, Marchand said he expects the rivalry to resume in style.

“These [games] are a lot of fun and the crowd loves them,” he said. “They’re fun games to be in. We’re excited for them. … We struggled against them last year a bit, so we do have to be better against them this year.”

Marchand said the Bruins are focused on making immediate improvement, with the goal of being among the top eight in the East a month from now.

“We talked about this last year: Usually by Thanksgiving, the teams that are in playoff position usually make the playoffs,” he said. “So, when it comes to that point, we want to make sure we’re in a playoff position. We’ve got to get on a roll if we’re going to do that. Tomorrow night’s a great way to start that.”

The Canadiens have a habit of embellishing to draw penalties, but Marchand wouldn’t take the bait when asked about that behavior. “That happens sometimes,” he said. “Not much you can really do but, I guess, worry about it after the fact.”