Round 2 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs has been a struggle for the Boston Bruins, who have been without Brad Marchand. He was injured in Game 3 after taking a shot to the head from Florida Panthers’ Sam Bennett.
Speaking for the first time since the injury occurred, Brad Marchand made a shocking admission about what happens in the playoffs. In his opinion, part of postseason play is trying to injure your opponents.
“People don’t want to say it, but part of playoffs is trying to hurt every player on the other team. The more guys you take out, the more advantage your team has.
“Every time you step on the ice, someone is trying to hurt someone. That’s just how it goes in the playoffs. That’s part of the benefit of having a physical group. That’s why you rarely see teams that are small and skilled go far. Because they get hurt,” said the Bruins star.
That is certainly a shocking comment from Brad Marchand. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are always intense, but saying that players are intentionally looking to injure opponents is going to raise some eyebrows.
He has missed the last two games as a result of the blow delivered by Bennett. The Bruins have gone 1-1, as they lost Game 4 but were able to avoid elimination in Game 5, winning in Florida.
With the series back in Boston for Game 6, Bruins coach Jim Montgomery is hopeful that Brad Marchand can return to the lineup. However, he did caution that there are boxes remaining for his star player to check off before that can occur.
The play in which he was injured was controversial. As Marchand was going to hit Bennett near the benches, it appeared as if Bennett threw a punch as the two made contact. He has denied throwing a punch.
“I think he got away with a shot. But I’m not going to complain. S— happens. That’s part of playoff hockey, I’ve been on the other side of a lot of plays,” Marchand said.
The Bruins will be looking to avoid elimination again on Friday night. If they can win that contest, Game 7 will be played back in Florida on Sunday.
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