Panthers defenseman Gus Forsling speaks after practice on May 16 at the Baptist Health IcePlex in For Lauderdale. There has been plenty of discussion over the past week into Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett. Boston’s captain was injured during Game 3 against the Panthers, a night where he took a hard hit from Bennett during the first period in which Bennett appeared to punch Marchand in the head. Bennett has maintained that any hit to the head was not intentional [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/sam-bennett-defends-hit-on-brad-marchand-as-panthers-take-control-of-series]. Boston Head Coach Jim Montgomery and several Bruins players have said they felt otherwise. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAwNjE3OTM2NjIzMjQ4NDky/img_6014.jpg] Marchand has not played since leaving Game 3 after two periods with what Boston described as an upper-body injury. He skated with the Bruins before Game 5 and practiced with the team again on Thursday. In terms of his status for Game 6 on Friday, Montgomery said Marchand was still considered day-to-day and that a decision would be made closer to puck drop. “I will say he looked good, but he’s got boxes to check,” Montgomery said. “We’ll know more tomorrow.” Following Boston’s practice, Marchand spoke to the media for the first time since he was hurt. Expectedly, he was asked about the hit by Bennett and whether he feels the punch was intentional. Marchand, who has been no stranger to controversial on-ice incidents during his career, gave a very honest and self-aware response. “He plays hard, he’s an extremely physical player,” Marchand said of Bennett. “I think he got away with a shot, but I’m not gonna complain. Shit happens. That’s part of playoff hockey. I’ve been on the other side of a lot of plays. I think he got away with one, but that’s part of the game. It’s definitely part of playoff hockey. It sucks to be on the other side of it, but that stuff happens so I’m not gonna sit here and complain about it.” To hear Marchand basically accepting what happened as part of playoff hockey, considering the things he’s done during his career, was one of the best answers you could ask for. No crying about it. No complaining. That’s hockey. Of course, Marchand being Marchand, he then said the quiet part out loud. “People don’t want to say it, but part of playoffs is trying to hurt every player on the other team,” he said. “The more guys you take out, the more advantage your team has. People don’t’ say that but that’s just a fact of the game. Every time you step on the ice, someone is trying to hurt someone. That’s just how it goes during the playoffs. Any time you can get an advantage on a team that’s gonna help your team win, that’s part of the benefit of having a physical group.” From a hockey fan’s perspective, Marchand playing in Game 6 and his Bruins going toe to toe with the Panthers for their Stanley Cup lives sounds like a hell of a treat. We’ll see if the hockey Gods agree. Game 6 from TD Garden in Boston is set for Friday at 7 p.m. LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Sergei Bobrovsky having another strong postseason, despite deceiving statistics [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/players/sergei-bobrovsky-having-another-strong-postseason-despite-deceiving-statistics] Panthers to put excellent road record to test, look to eliminate Boston on their home ice [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/panthers-to-put-excellent-road-record-to-test-look-to-eliminate-boston-on-their-home-ice] Three takeaways: Poor start, power play struggles doom Panthers in Game 5 loss to Boston [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/three-takeaways-poor-start-power-play-struggles-doom-panthers-in-game-5-loss-to-boston] Panthers stymied by Swayman, Bruins in Game 5 [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/panthers-stymied-by-swayman-bruins-in-game-5] Brad Marchand out for Game 5 as Panthers look to eliminate Bruins [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/game-day/brad-marchand-out-for-game-5-as-panthers-look-to-eliminate-bruins] Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjAxNjQxMjA5NjI4NzMxMDIz/unnamed.jpg]
