Bruins winger Brad Marchand sure knows how to make an entrance.

A good five weeks ahead of his original timeline, the 5-foot-9 wing not only returned to the Boston lineup Thursday night, but he also outright dominated, with two goals and an assist in a 5-1 win over the Red Wings.

Deployed for 17:31 of time on ice by the night’s end, Marchand was all over the rink, and hardly looked like a man who’s spent the last five months rehabbing from double hip surgery.

“I would think so,” Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said when asked if he got his money’s worth from No. 63 tonight.”Boy, the last 30 minutes, that was special. And the power play was special.

“It’s amazing how he comes up with pucks. He’s like a Tasmanian devil. He’s twirling all around, and the puck just seems to follow him. It’s amazing. He tracks it, he fights for it, he’ll bite your leg off for it. That’s why you love him.”

Speaking after the win, Marchand admitted that he felt better as the game went along, and added that it was a pain-free game on his end. That said, the Bruins are sticking to their plan and will not dress Marchand for Friday’s game in Columbus, as they’re monitoring his workload out of the game for his own benefit.

Elsewhere in the lineup, the Bruins got goals from Charlie Coyle, Craig Smith, and David Pastrnak, while Jeremy Swayman stopped 28-of-29 shots faced for his second win of the season.

But the Bruins were also dealt some bad news with a run-in with the Red Wings’ Michael Rasmussen that knocked David Krejci out of action in the second period of play.

Krejci did not return to the ice for the third period, and the Bruins have already ruled him out for Friday in Columbus. With Krejci out, Pavel Zacha is expected to move to center between Taylor Hall and David Pastrnak.