Brad Marchand avoided supplemental discipline for a little over three seasons. That run came to an end on Monday.
Before taking over Sunday’s matchup against the Vancouver Canucks with his third-period tying marker and go-ahead assist, Boston’s veteran left-winger committed a slew foot on defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson a mere 68 seconds into the contest.
The officiating crew didn’t assess a penalty to Marchand. Yet, the NHL Player Safety Department stepped in with its verdict.
The league handed Marchand a three-game suspension following Monday’s phone hearing.
“When these plays rise to the level of being illegal, the vast majority of them can be punished with in-game penalties,” the league said in its video statement. “What causes this play to rise to the level of supplemental discipline is Marchand’s use of both his upper and lower body to take Ekman-Larsson to the ice in a dangerous fashion, and the speed at which the players are traveling toward the boards.”
Marchand’s three-game ban marked his first suspension since elbowing Marcus Johansson in a Bruins-Devils tilt back in January of 2018. His latest dustup with the league came on the heels of multiple P.K. Subban events of similar stature. The Devils defenseman only received one fine of $15,000 despite his trio of slew-foot incidents over the past month.
While not an egregious slew foot compared to similar instances in his career, Marchand was likely heading toward suspension territory following Friday’s dust-up with Artemi Panarin. Though the league didn’t discipline Marchand following that exchange — and handed Panarin a $5,000 for his glove toss — they likely kept a closer eye on the Boston alternate captain heading into Sunday’s tilt with the Canucks even without a repeat offender designation.
Without Marchand, Bruce Cassidy faces significant lineup questions ahead. The Bruins head into Tuesday’s tilt with the Detroit Red Wings without Marchand and Anton Blidh, who exited Sunday’s game following a hit from behind by Ekman-Larsson late in regulation.
Ironically enough, Marchand’s scheduled return from his latest three-game ban happens a week from Wednesday in Vancouver. Before their Western Canada trip, the Bruins face a trio of pivotal matchups against the Red Wings, Predators and Lightning.
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