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The Bruins will have to finish their regular season without their leading scorer, as Brad Marchand has been hit with a two-game suspension from the NHL Department of Player Safety for his spear to Lightning defenseman Jake Dotchin in the first period of Tuesday’s 4-0 win over the Bolts.
Assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct for the incident, the decision to further discipline Marchand comes with the vicious nature of Marchand’s swing into Dotchin’s crotch, along with a rap sheet that includes seven incidents (four suspensions and three fines since 2010-11).
“What causes this play to rise to the level of supplemental discipline is the intent, the amount of force he used, and Marchand’s substantial history of attacking the lower-body of unsuspecting opponents,… the Department of Player Safety said in a video release. “This is not accidental or inadvertent contact. This is not light contact that, while illegal, does not rise to the level of supplemental discipline.…
The ruling means that Marchand will miss the final two games of the season, tonight against the Senators and Saturday against the Capitals, which could affect the Bruins’ playoff seeding between now and round one. Marchand will also finish his season one goal shy of the first 40-goal season of his career, with 39 goals and 85 points in 80 games. This is not all that different from the five-game ban in 2011 that likely prevented Marchand from hitting the 30-goal mark for the first time in his career.
A repeat offender under the terms of the NHL CBA and, based on his average annual salary, Marchand will also forfeit $109,756.10. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.
But in the scope of just tonight, Marchand’s absence will force Bruce Cassidy to dress somebody in Marchand’s place on the B’s first line. It’s worth noting that Frank Vatrano, who has missed the last four games with an apparent upper-body injury, did practice with the second power-play unit during Thursday’s morning skate, so there’s a chance that he could be ready to jump back into action.
Cassidy did mention that they have some plans in place in the event of a Marchand suspension, but that the ‘domino effect’ that comes with No. 63’s departure would make that a gametime decision.
Tuukka Rask will be in net for the Bruins once again. Rask has been on fire during the club’s current six-game winning streak, with four wins and a .972 save percentage in four games. Ottawa, down Erik Karlsson (lower-body injury), will start Craig Anderson in the opposite crease.
This is the final meeting between these two teams this season. Ottawa has won all three to date.
Ty Anderson is the Boston Bruins beat writer for WEEI.com, and has been covering the National Hockey League for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010. He can be heard on the Saturday Skate program on 93.7 WEEI (Boston), can also be found in the New England Hockey Journal magazine, and has been part of the Boston Chapter of the PHWA since 2013. Contact him on Twitter or send him an email at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com.