Bruins Forward Brad Marchand Suspended 3 Games, Will Miss Winter Classic
BOSTON (CBS) -- There will be no Winter Classic for Bruins forward Brad Marchand.
Marchand will have to sit out Friday's outdoor game at Gillette Stadium against the Montreal Canadiens, as he was suspended three games by the NHL for a low hit on Ottawa's Mark Borowiecki on Tuesday night.
There was no penalty called on the ice when Marchand flipped the Senators defenseman over his back in the first period of Boston's 7-3 win at the TD Garden, but he was suspended for three games after a disciplinary hearing Wednesday afternoon.
"It was a simple play," Marchand said of the play on Tuesday night. "I was trying to get to the puck carrier and I turned up-ice, and he was kind of standing there … just turned up and tried to go after the puck carrier."
The NHL says Marchand is considered a repeat offender under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and he will forfeit $164,634.15.
Watch: Marchand Suspension Decision On NHL.com
This is another big loss for the Bruins, as the seventh-year forward leads the team with 15 goals in 34 games so far this season. Marchand has been one of the Boston's most consistent players on offense, but he's also toed the line in his usual fashion, racking up 56 penalty minutes -- the second most on the team behind 58 penalty minutes by Zac Rinaldo.
The Bruins were already without first-line center David Krejci for Friday's game against the Canadiens, as he was placed on injured reserve ahead of Tuesday's game with an upper body injury. Losing Marchand will further tax their offensive attack against a team that is just one point ahead of them in the Atlantic Division.
