The Boston Bruins are facing the possibility that forward Brad Marchand won’t be available to them for their Jan. 1 game against the Montreal Canadiens at Gillette Stadium for the 2016 Bridgestone Winter Classic.
Marchand is scheduled for a hearing with the NHL’s department of player safety at 4:30 p.m. ET. His low hit on Senators defenceman Mark Borowiecki in Boston’s 7-3 win over Ottawa Tuesday could see him suspended.
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Borowiecki was shaken up on the play but completed the game.
On Wednesday, the Bruins — Marchand included—took to the ice in Foxborough for the first time. They were joined by family members for half an hour before a few of their players met with media members in attendance.
Bruins assistant captain Patrice Bergeron said he hadn’t reviewed the incident with Marchand, who plays on his line.
“He’s got a lot of family members here, and we’re just trying to enjoy the day,” said Bergeron. “Right now it’s in the hands of the player safety department, there’s not much we can really control. He’s a big part of our offence and our team. We’ll wait to see what the verdict is.”
Marchand leads the Bruins with 15 goals this season. While his status for Friday’s game is up in the air, David Krejci, tied with Loui Eriksson for the second-most points on the team, has officially been ruled out with an upper-body injury suffered Dec. 27.
“Just losing Dave, it’s something we discussed about everyone just having to step up their game a little bit,” said forward Max Talbot, who will play in his fourth Winter Classic. “When it comes to Brad, we don’t know what’s going to happen. But he’s another player who’s a huge part of this team, so hopefully he’ll be good.”
Marchand, who was not assessed a penalty for his hit on Borowiecki, was suspended five games for a similar hit on Vancouver Canucks defenceman Sami Salo in 2012. He was suspended two games for a slew-foot on New York Rangers forward Derick Brassard in 2015.
