Brad Marchand out of Game 4 against Panthers after colliding with Sam Bennett: ‘This pisses everyone off’

BOSTON — Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand will not play in Game 4 due to an upper-body injury. Coach Jim Montgomery graded Marchand on a day-to-day basis. Montgomery declined to answer whether Marchand had suffered a concussion.

The Bruins believe Marchand was hit by Sam Bennett during a first-period collision in Game 3. A slow-motion video replay appears to show Bennett punching Marchand in the head with his right hand. Marchand played for two spells but did not return for the third.

Marchand appeared to be in some pain after taking a hit from Bennett. pic.twitter.com/MWsczrMDOU

– Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 10, 2024

“I think it pisses everyone off,” Trent Frederick said of Bennett’s punch and its aftermath. “I think this whole team pisses everyone off, to be honest. Obviously there are some individuals that make guys more frustrated and madder. Maybe it’s the frustration. You still have to go out and do the job. We’re still 2-1 down and trying to make it 2-1.” 2.”

Bennett was not penalized for the play and was not subject to additional discipline.

“I don’t think I would classify it as sloppy,” Montgomery said after the Bruins’ optional morning skate on Sunday. “I thought he was outside the lines. I think he’s someone who’s playing the game on the edge. And he knew what he was doing. I don’t know if you saw the picture from behind. But obviously there… he loaded up.”

The Bruins did not respond during the game to Bennett. They were not aware that the center had thrown a punch.

“I feel like it’s my fault that we didn’t respond somewhat,” Montgomery said. “But you try to get back into the game. It’s 1-0 until they get on the power play for four minutes. Then we go in the third and score right away. Now we have the juices going. There are reasons why we didn’t do that. And that’s something I take personal responsibility for.”

The Bruins may ask Bennett to respond to the incident in Game 4. If so, it is unknown if Bennett will get the green light to respond. In Game 2, David Pastrnak accepted Matthew Tkachuk’s call to action.

“There might be a time in the game where that could happen,” Frederick said. “That’s something we can address. It’s a 2-1 series. We have to be smart as well. We gave them a lot of power plays already. Try to limit it and do it in a smart way.”

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(Photo: Maddy Meyer/Getty Images)