Bruins captain Brad Marchand didn’t mince words in his first media availability after Sam Bennett took him out.
Marchand missed two games due to an upper-body injury after the Florida Panthers forward landed an arguably dirty hit on the 36-year-old in Game 3. The Bruins veteran is expected to return for Game 6 in Boston, and when he first spoke to media after the Bennett hit, he didn’t express any desire for revenge. Rather, Marchand believes that’s part of playoff hockey and noted how everyone is trying to take the other out to build advantages through a seven-game series.
Paul Maurice admitted he ignores the headlines, and when informed about Marchand’s comments, the Panthers head coach had slight pushback about the Bruins captain’s sentiments.
“I bet that made you guys all happy, too, right? We got some juice stuff now,” Maurice joked with reporters, per Florida Hockey Now. “I think the playoffs are more focused on everything. What’s different? Every hit gets finished, and every hit gets finished as hard as it can be. I don’t think our game would last 10 minutes if that were true because the referees would put everyone in the box. I don’t think that’s true. I think all things are focused.”
Maurice pointed out that if the Bruins and Panthers played the regular season like they played in the second round, then the players would not last.
Whether you agree with Maurice or not, it does seem like Boston and Florida are ready to move and prepare for what should be an exciting Game 6 with the B’s playing for their season at TD Garden.
