Brad Marchand was hit by Sam Bennett in the first period of Game 3 and did not come out to play the third period.
The Boston Bruins face the possibility of being without their captain, Brad Marchand, for Game 4 against the Florida Panthers.
Marchand absorbed a hit from Sam Bennett during the first period of Friday's 6-2 defeat at TD Garden. Although he resumed play in the opening frame and continued into the second period, Marchand did not return for the final 20 minutes due to an upper-body injury.
Absent from the team practice on Saturday morning, Marchand's status remains uncertain, with Bruins coach Jim Montgomery listing him as day-to-day.
In his first game since April 23 for the Panthers, Bennett collided with Marchand near the Bruins' bench, resulting in Marchand crashing into the boards. Despite no call being made on the play, it appears Bennett may have landed a punch as well.
Reflecting on the incident, Montgomery remarked on Saturday, "Having seen it, there's a history there with Bennett. Hard player, but there's clearly evidence of what went on. People could say it wasn't intentional. We have our view of it."
When asked on Saturday whether he believed Bennett threw a punch at Marchand during the play, Panthers coach Paul Maurice responded, "No. It was just a collision." He added, "In a perfect world, every team has everybody healthy. Nobody likes to see him get hurt."
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