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Don Sweeney gives latest injury update on Bruins captain Brad Marchand

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Author Matt Dolloff
May 10, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) struggles to get to the bench after being hit during the first period of game three of the second round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Florida Panthers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney updated reporters on the status of Brad Marchand on Monday, as the captain continues to work his way back from what’s being termed an upper body injury.

Sweeney confirmed during a press conference at Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, Mass. that Marchand is traveling with the team to Sunrise, Fla. for Game 5 of their best-of-seven Stanley Cup Playoff series on Tuesday at Amerant Bank Arena. Marchand exited before the third period of Game 3 last Friday, and has been day-to-day ever since.

Reading between the lines of Sweeney’s comment, Marchand seems unlikely to play in Game 5, but if the Bruins can keep their season alive, he could be in line to return for a possible Game 6, which would be Friday night at TD Garden.

“Brad skated today, he’ll travel with the team,” Sweeney said. “He’s still day-to-day and hopefully continues. Guys got to give him a chance.”

If Marchand is dealing with a concussion, then it’s a good sign that he’s able to fly with the team. He ostensibly suffered the initial injury during Game 3 in a collision with Panthers forward Sam Bennett. As they collided, Bennett’s right hand drove forcibly through Marchand’s head – to put it kindly.

Bennett denied deliberately punching Marchand during a postgame interview on TBS Sunday night. He avoided any possible supplemental discipline, then in a cruel twist for Bruins fans, scored the game-tying goal in Game 4, despite appearing to commit textbook cases of goaltender interference and crosschecking on the same play. Officials upheld the goal after an interference challenge, in a decision that’s been the subject of widespread controversy.

Game 5 between the Bruins and Panthers takes place Tuesday night, with a start time of 7 p.m. ET.

Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.

Matt, a North Andover, Massachusetts native, has been with The Sports Hub since 2010. Growing up the son of Boston University All-American and Melrose High School hall-of-fame hockey player Steve Dolloff, sports was always a part of his life. After attending Northeastern University, Matt focused his love of sports on writing, extensively writing about all four major Boston teams. He also is a co-host of the Sports Hub Underground podcast and is a regular on-air contributor on the Sports Hub. Matt writes about all New England sports from Patriots football to Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins.

Bruins lose Game 4 in frustrating fashion, go down 3-1 to Panthers

It’s back-against-the-wall time for the Boston Bruins.

After jumping out to an early 2-0 lead, the Bruins surrendered three unanswered goals to the Florida Panthers over the final two periods to drop Game 4 of their best-of-seven playoff series by a 3-2 final. The Panthers now have a 3-1 lead with a chance to eliminate the Bruins in Game 5 on Tuesday night at Amerant Bank Arena.

The Bruins got about the best start they could’ve hoped for in the first period, considering the circumstances. Defenseman Charlie McAvoy set an early physical tone and ignited the TD Garden crowd just 14 seconds into the game with a thunderous open-ice hit on the Panthers’ Sam Reinhart:

Florida out-shot Boston 15-5 in the opening period, continuing a series-long trend. But this time, it was the Bruins who actually cashed in. First, David Pastrnak opened the scoring with a rocket of a one-timer from the faceoff circle during a power play:

  • Later in the period, defenseman Brandon Carlo made it 2-0 by simply putting the puck on net. His wobbly flip from the point found its way through traffic and by Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky to double the Bruins’ lead:

  • The Bruins also seemed willing to mix it up physically with the Panthers, who didn’t seem as willing to engage. Even Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman got into it with the Panthers’ Matthew Tkachuk.

  • The B’s escaped the first period with the lead, despite the shot totals. It wasn’t until well into the second period that the Panthers finally found the back of the net, off the stick of Anton Lundell with a quick one-timer from the faceoff circle. The Bruins were able to get out of the second period clinging to the one-goal lead.

  • Early in the third period, disaster struck for the Bruins, and in the worst possible way. Public enemy No. 1, Sam Bennett, scored the game-tying goal on a Panthers power play. The B’s challenged for goaltender interference, and even though Bennett appeared to crosscheck the Bruins’ Charlie Coyle into Swayman, the officials ruled that no interference took place, keeping it 2-2 and putting the Bruins on another penalty kill.

  • The B’s were able to kill off the ensuing delay of game penalty, but the Panthers were able to pull ahead anyway. Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov carried the puck into the zone himself and split the defense on his way to his fifth goal of the playoffs to give his team the 3-2 advantage.

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