Brad Marchand has a history with low hits leading to suspension and his discretion Tuesday night against the Ottawa Senators could lead to another.
In the first period of the Bruins-Senators game, Marchand bent toward the ice and flipped defenceman Matt Borowiecki with a low-bridge hip check. No penalty was assessed on the play, though the referee could be seen chatting with Marchand after the incident.
The intent on Marchand’s part is apparent and the Ottawa defenceman lay on the ice briefly before limping to the bench. Borowiecki did not have the puck and Marchand bent down low enough to make contact with his knees.
Borowiecki did return to the game.
The Bruins forward has been suspended for both slew-footing and low-bridge hits before. In 2014-15, Marchand was suspended two games for slew-footing Derick Brassard of the New York Rangers while in 2011-12 he was suspended five games for clipping Vancouver Canucks defenceman Sami Salo.
Should Marchand be suspended for his hit Tuesday, he could miss the Winter Classic game to be played on Jan. 1. He later assisted on a Bruins power play goal to make it 3-1 Boston in the second period.
