Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand will return to the lineup as the team face-offs off against the New York Rangers, tonight. Marchand served a five-game suspension. Before the All-Star Break, Marchand received the suspension for elbowing New Jersey Devils forward Marcus Johansson.
Since Marchand last played, the Bruins have gotten a few more players in on the scoring. David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron continued their scoring ways, while Jake DeBrusk, Ryan Spooner, and Danton Heinen were young players that stepped up and put their name on the score sheet.
Boston Bruins Welcome Back Brad Marchand
All eyes of anyone in the league are seemingly on Marchand. After a player gets a hearing from the Department of Player Safety, opponents often try to provoke that player to see if they will snap again.
The fans in Tampa made sure that Marchand knew they did not approve of his play and many others will denounce him as a dirty player or a “rat”. The way for Marchand to respond to this is by continuing his production of goals – the way to truly hurt a team.
The Five Games Without Him
In the five games without Marchand, the Bruins went 4-1-0 and still hold the second spot in the Atlantic Division. After their win over the Ottawa Senators 3-2 on January 25th, the Bruins went into the All-Star break riding ahot streak. Afterwards, they got a taste of the Western Conference.
Their first game back resulted in a loss to the Anaheim Ducks – their first game without at least one point since December 14th. They followed that game with a strong 3-1 win against the St. Louis Blues and an even more important 4-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The final game the Bruins played without Marchand was against the Detroit Red Wings – a team that came into the matchup eight points out of the second Wild Card spot. The game’s first goal belonged to Detroit, but the Bruins scored three straight afterwards. Danton Heinen got the first goal for the B’s and Sean Kuraly scored his fourth goal of the season to make it 2-1. David Krejci got the third for the Bruins and the eventual game-winner.
The Red Wings fought back and pulled within one goal, but in the fading moments of the game, Charlie McAvoy trapped the puck between his body and the corner boards until the final buzzer sounded.
What’s Next For Boston
The upcoming game against the Rangers will be Boston’s third and final game against them. New York has earned two points for each of the games, while the Bruins have walked out with one.
With Marchand back in the lineup, the Bruins will have a huge scoring threat once again – and the top line of Marchand, Pastrnak, and Bergeron will be available to take the ice once again. The Bruins have 31 games remaining in their season and still need to fight for every point. Marchand back in the lineup will give them an excellent chance to place high in the Atlantic Division.
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