The main talking point after Friday’s Game 3 between the Florida Panthers and the Boston Bruins was the latter getting ashamed for the second time in as many games after losing 6-2.
On Saturday, May 11, before Game 4, the story changed completely with all attention focused on the hit Panthers’ Sam Bennett delivered on Bruins captain Brad Marchand.
According to Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice, however, there is nothing wrong with Bennett’s action on Marchand, as he didn’t see his player punching the Bruin intentionally.
“No,” Maurice told reporters after practice on Saturday, May 11, via The Athletic’s Michael Russo, when asked about whether or not he sees a punch delivered on Marchand by Bennett. “And I don’t think most of you would either.
“It was just a collision. In a perfect world, every team has everybody healthy. Nobody likes to see anybody hurt.”
Panthers & Bruins Have Different Opinions On Bennett’s Hit
Marchand fell to the ice after getting hit by Bennett in what initially looked like a simple shoulder/back hit delivered by the Panthers player. The Bruins forward went to the bench, but he returned to skate in the same first period and during the full second stanza.
The Bruins, however, ruled Marchand out for the third period and he didn’t skate a single shift during the final 20 minutes of the Game 3 loss against Florida. On Saturday, May 11, Marchand was also absent from practice and listed “day-by-day” with an “upper-body” injury.
Talking to reporters after Saturday’s practice, Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery brought Bennett’s sucker punch to the table before Maurice took the stage later on the day, and his opinion was the opposite of his fellow gaffer.
“In real-time, I gotta be honest, my eyes weren’t on there as the puck had left that area,” Montgomery told reporters on May 11. “But having seen it, there’s a history there with Bennett.
“Hard player, but there’s clearly evidence of what went on. People can say it wasn’t intentional, but we have our view of it.
Between Montgomery’s and Maurice’s press conferences, league insiders reported the NHL would not discipline Bennett or hand him any suspension for the hit on Marchand, whether there was a sucker punch or not.
Panthers Win Back-to-Back Games Against Bruins, Lead 2-1
Game 4 is a crucial game for the Bruins, who started their second-round series against the Panthers with a 1-0 lead but then proceeded to lose Games 2 and 3 and find themselves trailing 1-2 entering Sunday’s game.
The status of Marchand (3 goals, 7 assists, 10 points in the Stanley Cup playoffs) for Game 4 is uncertain as the Bruins have not provided further updates about his availability for Sunday’s contest.
Marchand didn’t practice with the team Saturday, however, and if he’s suffered a concussion then he’s a virtual scratch for Game 4 and perhaps the full series, spanning from this weekend to the end of next week assuming it goes the full seven-game distance.
Coach Montgomery blamed himself and took full responsibility for his team’s 6-2 loss in Game 3.
"I don't believe we're performing at our best. Our performance in the last two games has not been sufficient," Montgomery said to reporters on May 10. "That's my responsibility, I need to improve."
Evan Rodrigues scored the first goal of Game 3 for the Panthers in the first period, followed by a couple more in the second by Vladimir Tarasenko and Carter Verhaeghe. Brandon Montour scored the fourth uncontested goal for Florida in the third period.
The Bruins seemed to be on their way to making a comeback with two goals by Jakub Lauko and Jake DeBrusk making it 4-2, but the Panthers scored twice (Sam Reinhart and Rodrigues were the scorers) after those goals, putting the final touches on their 6-2 victory.
Game 4 will occur at Boston's TD Garden on Sunday, May 12, with the series returning to Florida on Tuesday, May 14, for Game 5.
