Familiarity breeds contempt, but Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand was largely complimentary of the Toronto Maple Leafs ahead of their impending matchup Saturday.

Marchand was effusive in his praise for the Maple Leafs, and seemed to note a difference in their tactical approach under head coach Craig Berube.

“Toronto is definitely our biggest rival at this point in time. We seem to have different rivalries built depending on who you usually play at playoff time,” Marchand said Saturday afternoon after the Bruins’ morning skate.

“There’s a lot of blood between the two of us now, the amount of times we’ve played Toronto and I swear we’ve always been in the standings together. A lot of high-tension games between the two of us, they’re exciting games. They’re an extremely good team this year, and they’ve been building for a while now, and they’re really figuring out the right way to play, the way they stick up for each other and skate for each other, they’re playing a different brand of hockey right now.”

Marchand has been a constant threat to the Maple Leafs and was dominant for large stretches of last year’s first-round playoff series, where he recorded three goals and eight points during the Bruins’ seven-game triumph.

Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews is returning to the lineup after a six-game absence due to an upper-body injury, and Marchand didn’t hesitate to provide a scouting report on the entire forward corps.

“He’s such a dangerous player at all times of the game. He can change the game over the course of a shift in a play where you think it’s enough of a play. Obviously, one of, if not, the best goal-scorer in the league. It definitely changes the dynamic of their team when he’s out of the lineup, but the thing with them is that they have so many weapons and they’re playing a great brand of hockey right now. Whether he’s in or out, they’re going to be a very tough team to play against regardless. He’s a huge scoring threat when he’s in the lineup.

“But the way they’re playing right now, the way they’re competing through the lineup, whether it’s McMann. Matthew Knies, he’s had a good season. Obviously (Mitch) Marner is playing out of his mind, so you add all that up. Tavares is having a great year and Nylander, there’s so many weapons, it doesn’t matter if he’s in or out, you have your hands full with that team.”

These are astute observations from a locked-in Marchand, and he’ll surely be dialling up the intensity, knowing the calibre of opponent he has in front of him. Although Marchand’s on-ice antics and taunts would lead some to believe that he’s been disrespectful towards the Maple Leafs, he’s constantly aware of the challenge ahead of him, which is perhaps why Marchand and the Bruins have the upper hand historically.