Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand has missed the team's last two games against the Florida Panthers with an upper-body injury as a result of the hit from Sam Bennett in Game 3, but it seems like Marchand could be in play for Friday's Game 6.
“We just got back, so we'll know more probably tomorrow,” Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said on Wednesday, according to NHL.com. “We've got a lot of time here, a couple of days.”
The Bruins trail the best-of-seven series 3-2, but are coming off of a 2-1 road win in Game 5 that kept their season alive. Game 6 will be at home in Boston, where the Bruins lost Games 3 and 4 in the series. Game 3 was a rough effort in which the Bruins never had much of a chance, but they blew a 2-0 lead in Game 4, which included some controversy surrounding the Panthers' second goal that tied the game.
Regardless, Marchand returning for Game 6 would be a boost for the Bruins in ways more than just on the ice. He is a presence that lifts the rest of the team, and Charlie McAvoy shared that sentiment.
“Having him around is awesome in any capacity,” Charlie McAvoy said, via NHL.com. “His presence for us means a lot.”
In these playoffs, Marchand has put up three goals and seven assists for 10 points in the 10 games he has played for the Bruins. It will be worth monitoring his status over the next day leading up to Game 6. The Bruins fans will be ready, and Marchand's potential return would fire up the team and crowd to try to force a Game 7 back in Florida.
Bruins' roller coaster playoff run
To this point, the Bruins have had a lot of emotional swings in the playoffs. The first round against the Toronto Maple Leafs was very eventful. Boston took a 3-1 series lead, and it looked like it would dispatch of the Maple Leafs pretty easily, especially once Auston Matthews was ruled out for Games 5 and 6. Instead, Toronto came roaring back and forced a Game 7 in Boston.
The Maple Leafs even took a 1-0 lead in the third period of Game 7, but the Bruins responded right away to tie it, and won it in overtime on David Pastrnak's goal.
Then, in a quick turnaround, the Bruins came away with a 5-1 win over the Panthers in Game 1 of the second round series. That made it disappointing that the Bruins fell down 3-1 in the series by losing three straight.
The Bruins are now trying to do what the Panthers did to them last year in the first round. Florida came back from a 3-1 series deficit to win. Boston pulled off the first step with a win in Game 5. Up next is Game 6, and Marchand returning would be enormous.
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