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Is Brad Marchand staring down another suspension?

Author Ty Anderson
Feb 8, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) is held back by linesman Andrew Smith (51) after he got a penalty for attempting to injure during the third period against the Pittsburgh Penguins at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

A late-game meltdown between Penguins netminder Tristan Jarry and Bruins winger Brad Marchand may leave the Boston superstar staring down his second suspension in just over two months.

With a B’s loss unofficially official following an empty-net goal with over a minute remaining in the third period, the Bruins were buzzing in the attacking zone when Marchand delivered a shot to the head of Jarry after a whistle with 24 seconds remaining in the game. The punch came moments after Jarry said something that clearly set Marchand over the edge, and following a heavy-looking swipe from Jarry at Bruins center Charlie Coyle as Coyle drove by his crease.

The punch wasn’t enough for Marchand, who then came back around and clipped Jarry up high with his stick despite linesman Andrew Smith’s best efforts to keep No. 63 away from the Pittsburgh crease.

It wasn’t the kind of finish the Bruins, who lost Patrice Bergeron to injury earlier in the period, needed or wanted.

“That happened quick,” Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said after the loss. “You know, honestly, lack of discipline on Brad’s part in that situation. I just watched the replay at the end, it looks like some words were exchanged.”

It wasn’t the first time that the two exchanged pleasantries in the night, as Marchand basically (and harmlessly) trolled Jarry and denied the Penguin goaltender when Jarry tried to deliver a puck into the stands during a stoppage.

The second-period run-in beyond that incident, too, according to the Boston locker room.

“I don’t know if there was an incident at the end of the second period that precipitated that. I was in the room, so I don’t know, [but] someone said that,” Cassidy noted. “Still, you gotta have better discipline at the end of the day. Brad’s a leader on our team. He needs to control his emotions in that situation.”

Jarry, for what it’s worth, didn’t seem to sweat the exchanges with Marchand.

“I think it was the heat of the moment,” Jarry, who made 43 saves in the win, said.”Everyone is battling out there and he was just trying to get the puck to the net and our team did a great job.”

But now comes seeing if the NHL Department of Player Safety feels the same way. As mentioned, Marchand was last suspended in November for slew-footing the Canucks’ Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and has been hit with a suspension seven times (for a total of 22 games) in his career, along with five fines and nearly a million dollars in forfeited salary.

Highlights: Bruins fall to Penguins 4-2 at TD Garden

  • David Pastrnak staked the Bruins to a 2-0 lead with his 23rd and 24th goals of the season in the first period. The first goal started with a heads-up play by Patrice Bergeron to keep the puck alive in the zone while feeding it to Taylor Hall, who found an open Pastrnak across the ice for a rocket off a one-timer.

    His second goal, however, was even more impressive. Hall set him up again, this time with an attempt from the slot, and Pastrnak batted the rebound out of the air and into the net.

  • Pastrnak has now scored 16 goals in his last 16 games, going back to Jan. 4. He tied Colorado’s Mikko Rantanen and Nashville’s Filip Forsberg with his 24th goal, tying them for eighth in the league.

    The second period is when the Penguins clawed all the way back and into the lead. Ex-Bruin Danton Heinen did the initial damage, scoring twice in only 28 seconds against his former team. His first score came on a backhand deke around Jeremy Swayman after a neutral zone turnover by Hall, his second on a shot from the low-faceoff circle that Swayman knocked into the back of the net after the puck trickled over his shoulder.

    Sidney Crosby put the Penguins in the lead for the first time about eight minutes after Heinen’s equalizer, his 13th of the season and 499th of his career. Three Bruins defenders swarmed the net, only for Jake Guentzel to circle behind and find Crosby, who was left alone.

  • Crosby missed the first seven games of the season, but is now up to 41 points in 35 games. He’ll have to wait for his 500th goal, though.

    The Bruins were outscored 3-0 in the second period despite out-shooting the Penguins 15-4 at 5-on-5, according to Natural Stat Trick. Boston out-shot Pittsburgh 45-25 overall in the game.

    Bryan Rust won a footrace to the loose puck to finish off an empty net goal late in the third period. The Penguins closed the game on a power play after Brad Marchand threw a punch at goalie Tristan Jarry well after the whistle with just 24 seconds left.

Click here for 98.5 The Sports Hub’s complete coverage of the Bruins. 

Ty Anderson is a writer and columnist for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Yell at him on Twitter: @_TyAnderson.

Ty Anderson is 98.5 The Sports Hub’s friendly neighborhood straight-edge kid. Ty has been covering the Bruins (and other Boston teams) since 2010, has been a member of the PHWA since 2013, and went left to right across your radio dial and joined The Sports Hub in 2018. Ty also writes about all New England sports from Patriots football to the Boston Celtics and Boston Red Sox.

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