Maple Leafs kickstart Mitch Marner with high ice time in first period

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe did everything he could to get Mitch Marner going in Game 3 against the Boston Bruins, and that included giving the winger ample ice time in the opening frame.

Marner played 8:19 of the first period — more than any other Maple Leaf, including top defenceman Morgan Rielly, who played 7:53 — and registered one hit and one block.

Up to over 14 minutes by the end of the second period, it seemed that Keefe's approach worked on the snakebitten forward. With numbers on the Bruins heading into the offensive zone, Marner found Matthew Knies with a seeing-eye pass, which the rookie was able to roof into the net for the game's first goal.

That goal kickstarted the second line into a frenzy, and Marner was nearly able to pot his first of the playoffs when the puck found him in the slot, but the Bruins were able to get in front of it.

Though the Maple Leafs lost 4-2, Marner finished the game with 23:06 in ice time (second amongst Leafs forwards).

Prior to Wednesday, the 26-year-old had been on the receiving end of scrutiny, having gone pointless in the first two games of the series. That didn't stop Keefe from starting his line at opening faceoff, nor did it stop the coach from singing Marner's praises following Game 2.

"I loved a lot about our game here tonight, all the way through the lineup," Keefe said following Monday's game. "This is a night here where Mitch Marner, I thought he's all over the game too. He's making plays offensively for us at different times. Great defensive plays. He's playing almost every shift against [David] Pastrnak and doing a really good job helping us there [and on] the penalty kill."

Though the Maple Leafs stole one on the road and were tied 1-1 going into Game 3, they will need all their best players rolling if they want a deep playoff run. Last season, when the Leafs won their first playoff series since 2013, Marner had 14 points in 11 playoff games.