Marchand and the Bruins go to Florida as Sweeney presses the NHL for more openness.

After being knocked out of Friday night’s Bruins vs. Panthers Game 3 by a hit from Florida’s Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand seems to be improving. But when the Bruins try to avoid elimination in Florida on Tuesday night, they’ll probably be playing without their captain for the second consecutive postseason game.
Marchand is still in the day-to-day phase, but on Monday, there were encouraging signals. Both his short skate back on the ice and his trip with the team before to Tuesday night’s Game 5 are positive milestones in the right direction.
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said that Marchand skated and travelled with the club, but he also implied that the team would need to play longer than Tuesday to see Marchand back in the fold.
“He’s still getting by day to day, hopefully. Before the Bruins left for Florida, Sweeney told reporters, “Guys have got to give him a chance.”
Marchand missed Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at TD Garden on Sunday night due to an upper body ailment he sustained early in Game 3. Bennett gave Marchand a heavy, filthy hit in the first frame. Although he continued to play in the second period, he was sidelined for the game’s last session.
Bennett struck Marchand with a right hook as he made contact with the Bruins captain, according to a fresh perspective on the play that was made public on Sunday. According to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, the NHL reportedly didn’t have that viewpoint until Sunday, but they still wouldn’t have banned Bennett for the hit.
To exacerbate the situation for Boston, Bennett ended up winning Game 4 with a contentious goal in the third quarter.
Sweeney expressed on Monday his desire for more openness from the NHL about hits such as Bennett’s on Marchand.
“The Department of Player Safety needs to make a statement on how they interpret that situation,” Sweeney said. “Every conceivable aspect has been examined by us. Similar to the times when Brad has been called to the carpet and comparables are examined.
“Protecting the players is their duty and obligation, according to Sweeney. “We have to respect that, whatever their judgement is.”
After Sunday’s game in Boston, Bennett defended himself on TNT, claiming that when he delivered the hit, he was expecting contact from Marchand.
“Anyway people want to see it, they can. Hockey playoffs,” Bennett said. There will be challenging plays. Though it’s regrettable that he was struck, in my opinion, it was simply a hockey play.”
Given that they are already 3-1 down the Panthers in the series, the Bruins could really need Marchand back in the fold on Tuesday night. Marchand leads the Bruins with 10 points after ten playoff games with three goals and seven assists.

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