BOSTON — Leon Draisaitl gave the Edmonton Oilers a lift when he returned from injury. Sam Bennett delivered in his comeback to the Florida Panthers.
The Bruins are hoping that Brad Marchand can do the same.
Bennett, who was hurt in Game 2 of Florida’s first-round series against Tampa Bay, returned on Friday night with some big hits in the Panthers’ 6-2 victory over the Bruins, tying the series at one game each. One of the accidents left Marchand fighting to get off the ice and in pain on the bench.
Bruins Hoping Marchand Can Return And Give Team A Boost In Game 4 Vs Panthers
Replays show Bennett’s hand coming up and appearing to strike Marchand in the face. Bruins coach Jim Montgomery was among several who criticized the hit, saying, “There’s certainly evidence of what happened. People can claim it wasn’t deliberate. We have our opinion about it.”
Panthers’ coach Paul Maurice disagreed.
“It was just a collision,” he explained on Saturday. “In an ideal world, every team has everyone healthy. Nobody wants to see him get wounded.
Bennett was not penalized. Marchand stayed in the game but did not return for the third period. He did not practice on Saturday, and Montgomery stated that the team’s leading scorer in the playoffs was day-to-day.“You never want to see someone go down and not be able to come back, especially a guy who’s your leader and best player,” Bruins forward Charlie Coyle said after practice. “You want everyone to be healthy, so everyone pitches in. But it is an opportunity to stand up, and we can do so.”
Bennett missed five consecutive postseason games after being hurt on April 23, but he returned on Friday night with seven hits and one assist. About a minute after Marchand’s hit, he floored Bruins star David Pastrnak.
“It was nice to get back out there,” Bennett remarked. I believe it is critical not to dip your toe in. I wanted to go out and play at full pace. That is kind of my game. “I believe that’s the only way to approach it.
Bruins Hoping Marchand Can Return And Give Team A Boost In Game 4 Vs Panthers
Panthers against. Bruins, Florida leads 2-1, 6:30 p.m. (TBS)
Montgomery said he didn’t need to address goalie Jeremy Swayman after the Bruins allowed six goals in each of the previous two games. (Swayman was charged with nine of these.)
The coach believes his goalie was the best player in the first-round series against Toronto. He took over after rotating with Linus Ullmark for nearly the whole season and the first three playoff games. Florida scored five power-play goals, and Swayman made several highlight-reel stops.“Have you seen this guy?” “This guy wants the crease,” Montgomery explained. “That’s the will and the skill that we want from everyone.”
Florida scored ten unanswered goals after Boston opened the scoring in Game 2; the Bruins had never let up ten goals in a row in a playoff series in their century-long history. The Panthers scored four power-play goals in Game 3, a franchise record and the most Boston had allowed in a game since 1992.
Bruins Hoping Marchand Can Return And Give Team A Boost In Game 4 Vs Panthers
Canucks vs Oilers, tied 1-1, 9:30 p.m. (TBS).
The Oilers were preparing to be without Draisaitl, who was injured late in Game 1 against Vancouver. He was a game-time decision and scored one goal and three assists in Friday night’s 4-3 overtime win, tying the series at one.
Draisaitl has six postseason goals and is second only to teammate Connor McDavid in points (17).
“He’s a great player,” added McDavid, who also scored four points. “He’s a fantastic player, one of the top players in the world, and the best player on many nights. “And tonight was one of those nights.”
SOURCE – (AP)
