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Brad Marchand

Injury Notes: Marchand, Pesce, Kreider, Trenin

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Things are trending toward Bruins captain Brad Marchand returning to the lineup as they try and force a Game 7 against the Panthers on Friday night. He practiced with the team today and skated with the first power play unit, reports The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa, indicating head coach Jim Montgomery is preparing for him to be available. Montgomery later told reporters that Marchand remains day-to-day, but his status could change tomorrow (via NBC Sports Boston’s Ty Anderson).

Marchand missed Games 4 and 5 after Panthers center Sam Bennett laid out a controversial hit in Game 3, causing him to sustain an upper-body injury. The 35-year-old has been Boston’s best skater in these playoffs, tying for the team lead with 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 10 games. He hasn’t taken a minor penalty in the Florida series, only being assessed a 10-minute misconduct for his role in a third-period Game 2 melee after Brandon Montour scored shorthanded to put the Cats up 6-1.

The B’s dropped Game 4 without their captain but managed to escape Florida with a 2-1 win in Game 5 to keep their season alive. The Bruins are now 2-2 in potential elimination games this postseason after dropping Games 5 and 6 against the Maple Leafs in the first round despite taking a 3-1 series lead.

Other injury updates as we rapidly near the Conference Finals:

  • The Hurricanes will be without defenseman Brett Pesce as they try and stave off elimination for a third straight game against the Rangers tonight, head coach Rod Brind’Amour confirmed (via Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal). He’s ramped up practicing with the team as he tries to return from a lower-body injury, but he’ll miss his ninth straight contest. Pesce hasn’t played since sustaining the injury midway through Game 2 of Carolina’s first-round win over the Islanders. The pending unrestricted free agent averaged 20:17 per game in the regular season, his lowest usage since his rookie season in 2015-16 while posting three goals and 13 points in 70 games.
  • Rangers winger Chris Kreider was absent from practice yesterday due to maintenance, but it appears the team was underselling whatever’s going on. He confirmed to reporters he’ll play in Game 6, but likely isn’t 100 percent. Earlier this morning, he was downgraded to probable/uncertain for Game 6 tonight, head coach Peter Laviolette told reporters (including USA Today’s Vince Z. Mercogliano). Kreider did return to practice with the team at today’s morning skate, though, something Laviolette called “a real positive.” He had two goals and two assists in Games 1 through 3 against Carolina but has been held without a point in their Game 4 and 5 losses.
  • Avalanche checking forward Yakov Trenin is being evaluated for an upper-body injury after leaving last night’s Game 5 win over the Stars prematurely, Colorado Hockey Now’s Evan Rawal reported mid-game. Picked up from the Predators before the trade deadline, Trenin has one goal in 10 postseason games thus far and has played a smaller role than expected, averaging 10:36 per game. He’s also struggled in the faceoff dot while serving as their fourth-line pivot, winning only 43.6% of his draws. If he’s unable to play in Game 6 on Friday, expect veteran Chris Wagner to draw into the lineup. Wagner’s lone appearance came in their Game 1 overtime win over Dallas last week, logging 8:28 of ice time.

East Notes: Marchand, Sjalin, Rochester

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As expected, Boston Bruins’ captain Brad Marchand was not an option for the team tonight against the Florida Panthers, as he continues to work his way back from an upper-body injury (X Link). It will be the second straight game that Marchand has not been able to suit up, and he will not be able to help the Bruins stave off elimination this evening.

Although Marchand’s injury has been classified as an upper-body injury, it is more than likely he is dealing with a head injury. In the first period of Game 3, Marchand attempted to deliver a hit to Panthers’ forward Sam Bennett in between the benches and quickly fell to the ice. Slowly getting back to Boston’s bench, alternate footage of the incident showed that during the play in question, Bennett appeared to throw a punch, making contact with Marchand’s head.

Currently battling in an elimination game, the play in question could potentially mark an unceremonious end to Marchand’s season. Throughout the first two rounds of this year’s playoffs, Marchand has led the Bruins in scoring, putting up three goals and 10 points in 10 games played.

Other East notes:

  • As previously rumored, Buffalo Sabres’ prospect, Calle Sjalin, has decided to sign with Rögle BK of the Swedish Hockey League (X Link). Despite being a solid contributor during his last season in the SHL, Sjalin never got much of an opportunity throughout his time in North America, appearing in only 70 AHL games over two seasons. Without much productivity throughout his tenure in the Panthers organization, Sjalin was traded to the Sabres organization this past deadline in a deal that sent team captain Kyle Okposo to the Sunshine State.
  • Staying in the Sabres organization, Buffalo beat writer Bill Hoppe reports that Rochester Americans assistant coaches Vinny Prospal and Nathan Paetsch will be staying in the organization, and one may even become the next head coach. The team’s most recent head coach, Seth Appert, has been named an assistant coach for the Sabres for the 2024-25 NHL season, leading to the vacancy behind the bench.

East Notes: Sweeney, Marchand, Wheeler

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Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic is reporting that Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney had some harsh words today for the National Hockey League after the Bruins’ 3-2 loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 4 of their second-round series. Sweeney was upset that several Bruins players, as well as head coach Jim Montgomery, had to talk with the media about why the league overturned a goaltender interference challenge while none of the on-ice officials were made available.

Sweeney added to his comments saying that he felt it wasn’t right to have a head coach answer media inquiries about their feelings toward the officiating. Sweeney finished his point by saying if people want transparency, then the NHL should have the officials talk to the media to provide their interpretation of the goaltender interference rule.

While Sweeney isn’t the first person to say that the officials should be held to account by the media, he did say it is something that general managers have discussed. Sweeney is also the latest to voice his displeasure with the NHL’s handling of goaltender interference. The rule has become something that has confused fans and players alike and is surely going to be looked at by the league very soon.

In other Eastern Conference notes:

  • Bruins captain Brad Marchand remains day-to-day (according to Conor Ryan of Boston.com) but did skate with the team this morning and will travel to Florida for Game 5. Boston’s offense could certainly use Marchand after the Bruins’ scoring has disappeared since a 5-1 victory in Game 1. Boston has scored just five times in the past three games, playing the last game and a half without their playoff leader in scoring. Marchand has two assists in the series against the Panthers and has posted three goals and seven assists in ten playoff games this year.
  • ESPN’s Emily Kaplan is reporting that New York Rangers forward Blake Wheeler is roughly 2-3 weeks ahead of schedule as he recovers from a devastating leg injury he suffered back in February. Wheeler was expected to be able to play around June 1st, but with his recovery time being pushed up, he could become an option if the Rangers advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Wheeler has been pushing hard to return and was no longer wearing a red noncontact jersey when he practiced with the team today.

Bruins’ Brad Marchand To Miss Game 4

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The Boston Bruins will be without captain Brad Marchand for Game 4, after sustaining an upper-body injury in Game 3, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). Marchand left Game 3 early after awkwardly colliding with the boards following a hit from  Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett. There has been no indication of exactly what injury Marchand is bearing or how long it may hold him out. Game 4 will be Marchand’s first time missing a postseason game since 2019 when he missed four games of Boston’s run to the Stanley Cup Finals.

This is devastating news for a Bruins team currently down 2-1 against the Florida Panthers. Marchand has been Boston’s best forward this postseason, with 10 points through 10 games. He’s averaging over 18 minutes of ice time a game and playing on both the penalty kill and power-play, giving the Bruins a hole in nearly every system ahead of Game 4. Patching up special teams will be the top concern for coach Jim Montgomery, with Boston currently boasting the second-worst power-play and third-worst penalty-kill of any remaining teams. This could be a chance for Morgan Geekie to continue carving out a prominent role, after earning reps on the second line and second power-play unit. Geekie already has three goals and four points through 10 games this postseason.

Marchand’s absence will also make room for Danton Heinen, who’s been cleared to return after missing the team’s last five games with an undisclosed injury, per NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti (Twitter link). Heinen served a third-line role during Boston’s first five postseason games, netting one assist. He’s coming off a 36-point season, the most he’s scored since his rookie year in 2017-18. If Heinen suffers any sort of set back, Jesper Boqvist would be next to step in. Boqvist has one assist through eight appearances of his own this postseason.

Bruins/Panthers Notes: Marchand, Heinen, Bennett, Cousins

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One of the big moments from Friday’s third game of the Panthers-Bruins series was the hit from Sam Bennett on Brad Marchand that caused the latter to leave the game in the second period and not return.  Marchand missed practice today with TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie noting (Twitter links) that the captain is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury and that winger Danton Heinen could take his place in the lineup as it appears he could be ready to return.

Heinen has missed the last four games with an undisclosed injury sustained during the first round against Toronto.  He had 17 goals and 19 assists in 74 games during the regular season – great value for a league minimum contract – and provided the type of depth scoring that Boston has been lacking in recent games.

Meanwhile, ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski adds that Bennett will not face any supplementary discipline for the hit.  Head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters that he didn’t see things the way the league did:

There’s a history there with Bennett. There’s clearly evidence of what went on. People can say it wasn’t intentional. We have our view of it.

Bennett had made his series debut after returning from an upper-body injury in the second game of their opening-round series against Tampa Bay and picked up an assist in a little under 13 minutes of action.  Montgomery clarified that the history he referenced with Bennett in his comment wasn’t solely with Marchand but rather with those types of hits in general.

Meanwhile, Bennett’s return resulted in Nick Cousins being dropped from the lineup.  Panthers head coach Paul Maurice told reporters including Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald that the decision to scratch Cousins wasn’t performance-related but rather wanting some extra coverage at center if Bennett wasn’t able to make it through the game which helped keep Steven Lorentz – who can play down the middle when called upon – in the lineup on the fourth line, a group that has had some success in the series so far.

Atlantic Notes: Marchand, Tavares, Wikman

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It was a tough night for the Bruins on Friday who lost to Florida to now trail two games to one in their second-round series.  They also lost one of their top players in the process with Brad Marchand exiting the game in the second period off a hit from Sam Bennett.  Speaking with reporters postgame including Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald, head coach Jim Montgomery didn’t have any immediate updates about the availability of his captain for Sunday’s contest.  Marchand leads Boston in scoring in the postseason with three goals and seven assists through ten games and with the Bruins struggling offensively the last couple of games, losing their top scorer would certainly be a significant blow.

More from the Atlantic:

  • After being added to Canada’s roster on Friday, Maple Leafs captain John Tavares has been named as captain for the Canadians at the Worlds, Hockey Canada announced (Twitter link). The 33-year-old saw his output dip this season but he still managed 29 goals and 36 assists for Toronto in 80 games but was limited to just one goal and one assist in their first-round loss to Boston.  This is his fourth appearance at the World Championship although it has been a while since Tavares has taken part; he last participated back in 2012.
  • Panthers prospect Albert Wikman has been loaned to Sodertalje in Sweden’s Allsvenskan for next season, per a team announcement (Twitter link). The 19-year-old blueliner was a fourth-round pick last June, going 127th overall.  Wikman spent most of this season playing in Farjestad’s junior system, notching 20 points in 45 games while also making a pair of SHL and Allsvenskan appearances.  While still eligible to play at the junior level, it appears the determination has been made to have him play a full professional campaign at the second-tier level to aid in his development.

Atlantic Notes: Harvey-Pinard, Lyubushkin, Marchand, Barkov

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Canadiens winger Rafaël Harvey-Pinard is no longer waiver-exempt after playing in his 70th career NHL game in Thursday’s 4-1 loss to the Canucks, per CapFriendly. The 25-year-old has had his 2023-24 season plagued with injuries, only skating in 32 of Montreal’s 69 contests, although he hasn’t been particularly effective in the lineup, either. His 14 goals in 34 games after being called up from AHL Laval last season hasn’t managed to carry over, and he’s only scored once in 32 contests this season while adding seven assists. Logging 12:49 per game, the 2019 seventh-round pick has been one of the Habs’ worst offensive forwards. He has produced some value with decent possession metrics, logging a 45.8 CF% at even strength that’s above average relative to his teammates, but there hasn’t been much to suggest he can stick in a top-nine role long-term. The 5-foot-9 forward has one season left on a contract carrying a $1.1MM cap hit and will be an RFA with arbitration rights in 2025.

Other updates from the Atlantic Division:

  • Maple Leafs defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin isn’t quite recovered from his illness and will miss his third straight game Saturday when Toronto hosts the Oilers, head coach Sheldon Keefe said today. Recently picked up via trade from the Ducks for his second go-around with the Leafs, Lyubushkin did skate today for the first time since his last appearance, Saturday’s 5-4 shootout loss to the Hurricanes. The 29-year-old has been solid since re-joining Toronto, recording two assists and a 51.5 CF% in seven games, mainly skating alongside Morgan Rielly while averaging 16:07 per game.
  • Bruins captain Brad Marchand is questionable for Saturday’s game against the Flyers after he was absent from today’s practice for maintenance purposes, head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters. The 35-year-old had been on a hot streak, picking up eight points in his last seven games. He’s on pace to finish below a point per game for a second straight season after doing so every year from 2016-17 to 2021-22, and his possession metrics have also dipped considerably without the now-retired Patrice Bergeron centering his line. He remains the Bruins’ top secondary talent to David Pastrňák, though, and is the team’s second-leading scorer with 27 goals and 62 points in 71 games.
  • Panthers first-line mainstay Aleksander Barkov traveled with the team on their road trip but is unlikely to draw in Saturday against the Rangers, head coach Paul Maurice said. The perennial Selke Trophy candidate missed yesterday’s loss to the Predators with an undisclosed injury and hasn’t been completely ruled out against New York. The 28-year-old Finn is having another elite campaign, notching 48 assists, 66 points, and a +23 rating in 62 games while helping facilitate linemate Sam Reinhart’s breakout season.

Atlantic Notes: Knies, Liljegren, Larkin

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Sportsnet’s Luke Fox tweeted this morning that Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies returned to practice today but is unlikely to return to the lineup tonight as he is still not 100%. Knies has been dealing with an illness the last few days that already caused him to miss Tuesday night’s 7-3 win over the New York Rangers. Lance Hornby of Postmedia added that there is a small chance that Knies could play and that things are a bit up in the air as the Maple Leafs have had a flu bug circulating through their dressing room. Should Knies miss tonight’s game Noah Gregor would likely take his spot on the top line once again with Auston Matthews and William Nylander.

The 21-year-old Knies has had an okay start to his first full season in the NHL registering six goals and five assists in 25 games. Expectations for the Phoenix, Arizona native were quite high after a solid seven-game showing in last year’s playoffs in which Knies posted a goal and three assists. He’s been physical, good defensively and responsible with the puck. However, he has not been able to drive play, which is surprising given that he has spent time on a line with two of the best play drivers in the NHL.

In other Atlantic Division notes:

  • Lance Hornby of Postmedia tweeted that Toronto Maples Leafs defenseman Timothy Liljegren is getting close to returning to the lineup. In talking with Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe Hornby learned that the 24-year-old should only need another practice or two before being ready to return to action. Liljegren has been out of the lineup since suffering a high-ankle sprain on November 2nd that was the result of a controversial trip by Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand. Liljegren has just a single assist in ten games this season and has been averaging just shy of 18 minutes a night of ice-time for Toronto.
  • Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press is reporting that Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin skated with the team this morning in a non-contact jersey. Larkin being back on the ice is certainly a positive development after he suffered what appeared to be a devastating injury on Saturday after he was hit up high by a couple of Ottawa Senators players. Larkin lay motionless on the ice as a melee ensued around him between the two teams. Larkin suffered what is being described as an upper-body injury and although it is a very positive development to see him back on the ice so soon, there is no timeline for his return to Detroit’s lineup.

Injury Notes: Liljegren, Chytil, Senators

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have tweeted that defenseman Timothy Liljegren has left tonight’s game against the Boston Bruins and won’t be returning. It is the second time in less than a week that the 24-year-old has had to leave a game with an injury as he was forced to exit a game last week against the Nashville Predators with what was described as an upper body injury.

Liljegren’s injury tonight is being called a lower body injury, but it appears likely it is something in his foot or ankle. The injury happened in the dying moments of the first period as Liljegren and forward Brad Marchand of the Bruins were skating towards the corner and engaging in a puck battle. Marchand appears to give Liljegren the can opener before the Maple Leafs defenseman goes awkwardly into the boards. The move from Marchand was essentially a trip as he appeared to put his stick between Liljegren’s legs and force him to the ice. Liljegren’s skates then smashed into the end boards, likely causing his injury.

In other injury notes:

  • Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet is reporting that New York Rangers forward Filip Chytil is done for tonight’s game after colliding with Carolina Hurricanes forward Jesper Fast in the first period of the matchup this evening. Chytil left with what is being described as an upper-body injury and was last seen on the Rangers bench in obvious pain before leaving the game. The 24-year-old center has six assists in nine games this season and has been working primarily as the team’s second-line center. Should he be out for any period it is likely that Vincent Trocheck was moved up to the second line in his absence.
  • The Ottawa Senators have tweeted that young forward Ridly Greig left tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Kings with a lower-body injury and did not return. The news was similar for Greig’s teammate Mark Kastelic who also suffered a lower-body injury and was unable to get back onto the ice. Senators coach D.J. Smith offered an update on both players that was covered by Murray Pam of Full Press Hockey. Smith said that he figures both Greig and Kastelic will miss a few games due to their ailments. Greig has been filling in admirably for the suspended Shane Pinto and has registered two goals and five assists in eight games while Kastelic has no points and 21 PIM in eight games this year. Given the Senators’ predicament, it does seem likely that the team will have to recall some players from the Belleville Senators of the AHL.

Brad Marchand Named 27th Captain In Boston History

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The Boston Bruins have named Brad Marchand the 27th captain in franchise history. He succeeds long-time linemate Patrice Bergeron in the role. Marchand has worn an ’A’ for the club since the 2018-19 campaign, when Zdeno Chara was still captain.

And maybe because of that long-running assistant captain role, Brad Marchand felt like the obvious choice to wear the ’C’ next. That’s despite all Marchand did to put off the topic, previously saying that the captaincy was one of the last things he wanted to focus on. He also said that, regardless of who the captain ended up being, this Bruins lineup was going to have to lift themselves up as a unit if they wanted to be successful.

That certainly makes sense when you look at the Boston roster. The team is coming off a historic 2022-23 campaign where they went 65-12-5. But they’ve experienced major turnover in the summer since, losing Bergeron and David Krejci to retirement from the NHL. They also suffered significant losses in Dmitry Orlov, Taylor Hall, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Nick Foligno. While the sextet had varying roles with last year’s Boston lineup, each of them leave a big hole to be filled.

Marchand will look to lead the new-look Bruins this season – his 14th with the club. The winger has spent his entire career with the Bruins after they drafted him in the Third Round of the 2006 NHL Draft. And despite finding success on the scoresheet, Marchand has struggled with riding out a full season, failing to appear in 80 or more games since 2016-17. With a new letter on his chest, and a new lineup looking up to him, Marchand’s surely hoping newfound responsibility brings better luck.

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