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It might be a while before we see Brad Marchand back in action

Matt Dolloff February 9th, 2022
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

UPDATE: Brad Marchand has officially been suspended six games for the incident Tuesday night against the Penguins.

Brad Marchand is quite familiar with the process of dealing with NHL Player Safety. After his latest incident with the Penguins Tristan Jarry, he may be in his deepest trouble yet.

The Bruins were 24 seconds away from the final horn of a frustrating 4-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. They blew a two-goal lead in the process, and lost despite out-shooting the Pens 45-25 in the game. And now they might have to be without Marchand for a while after his emotions got the best of him in the final minute.

Well after the whistle at the 24-second mark, Marchand sucker-punched Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry right across the head, which caused a scrum. As the official was taking him away for an easy penalty call, Marchand went for another shot with his stick toward Jarry’s helmet.

Marchand received a match penalty, which resulted in a comically long seven-minute power play for the Penguins, who again were up two with only 24 seconds left. The match penalty also means the incident was automatically subject to review by the league.

It sounds like the league is not going to go easy on Marchand this time. The department of Player Safety tweeted Tuesday morning that Marchand will have an “in-person hearing via Zoom” to determine supplemental discipline for the punch and other actions against Jarry. (Side note: ‘in-person via Zoom’ is some real post-apocalyptic shit.)

The “in-person” part is important, though. That means the league has determined it will likely suspend Marchand for at least six games. If it’s five games or fewer, the hearing is usually over the phone.

Marchand has never been suspended for more than five games at once. He’s received two five-game suspensions in his career: when he gave Sami Salo a back body drop in 2012, and when he swung his elbow across the back of Marcus Johansson’s head in 2018.

He’s already been suspended three games in the 2021-22 season. He got whacked for three games for a slew-foot on Vancouver’s Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

There have been more vicious and violent acts than Marchand’s sucker-punch, even by Marchand himself. Jarry didn’t seem to think it was that big a deal. But that’s behavior that you simply can’t have, especially long after the whistle. Can’t have it. Marchand lost his mind, and he’s going to pay for it.

The Bruins have surged comfortably into the playoff picture, but they’ll have to hope Marchand’s expected lengthy absence won’t hurt their ability to potentially climb in the standings in the coming weeks.

And yes, we say “weeks.” If Marchand gets 6-8 games, you’re talking minimum two weeks without him. Pray the league shows mercy.

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.

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Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff and follow him on Instagram @mattydsays. You can also email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.

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