Brad Marchand has missed the past two games of the Boston Bruins’ second-round series against the Florida Panthers.
The infamous winger was taken out of action by a controversial hit from Panthers forward Sam Bennett that many from the Bruins side believe was a disguised punch to the head rather than normal hockey contact.
Marchand was asked to comment on the play for the first time after Boston’s skate on Thursday and decided to say the quiet part about the NHL postseason out loud.
“People don’t want to say it but part of playoffs is trying to hurt every player on the other team and the more guys you take out the more advantage your team has,” Marchand said. “People don’t say that but that’s just a fact of the game. So, every time you step on the ice, someone is trying to hurt someone.
“Any time you can get an advantage on a team it’s going to help your team win. That’s part of the benefit of having a physical group. That’s why you see teams go the distance with a big D corps, physical teams and it’s why you rarely see teams that are small and skilled go far because they get hurt.”
The play where Marchand was injured happened before five minutes were off the clock in the first period of Game 3 last week. Marchand went to throw an open-ice check on Bennett but got caught with a reverse hit that sent him flying into the side boards between the two benches. More angles of the play were released later that brought Bennett’s exact actions into more question.
“There’s a history there with Bennett,” Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said. “There’s clearly evidence of what went on. People can say it wasn’t intentional. We have our view of it.”
Marchand stayed in the game for the rest of the first and second periods but did not come out for the final frame due to what the Bruins described as an upper-body injury. He would stay out of the lineup for Florida’s win in Game 4 as well as Boston’s win in Game 5 to push the series to at least six games.
“I think he got away with a shot but I’m not going to complain,” Marchand said. “That’s part of playoff hockey. I’ve been on the other side of a lot of plays and I think he got away with one but that’s part of the game and definitely a part of playoff hockey. It sucks to be on the other side of it but that stuff happens. But, yea, I think he got away with one. It is what it is.”
The Bruins are hopeful that their captain will be able to dress for another potential elimination game on Friday night. Bennett was handed no supplemental discipline by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety and went on to score the game-tying goal in the eventual win for the Panthers in Game 4.
Bennett has four points (2g, 2a) in five playoff games for the Panthers this postseason. The feisty centerman has always been a clutch playoff performer, notching 15 points (5g, 10a) in 20 games en route to the Stanley Cup Final with Florida last year.
“On that play, obviously I’m not trying to punch him in the head like everyone’s saying,” Bennett said. “Other people can have different opinions. I’m just bracing myself for him coming to hit me. There’s no way I would have had time to think about punching him in the head but people can see it however they want. It’s playoff hockey, there’s going to be hard plays. That’s just a hockey play in my mind.”
The two teams will go at it again on Friday night in Game 6 at Boston’s TD Garden. Florida has a chance to eliminate the Bruins for the second-straight postseason while Boston can force a Game 7 back in Sunrise with a victory.
The eventual winner of the series has the Presidents’ Trophy-winning New York Rangers awaiting them in the Eastern Conference Final. New York took out the Carolina Hurricanes in six games with a comeback win on Thursday night.
