Brad Marchand has been offered an in-person hearing with the NHL's Department of Player Safety after punching and high-sticking Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry Tuesday night.
That's bad news for the Bruins, because an in-person hearing means the league can suspend Marchand for five or more games. And using history as a guide, the league almost always does suspend for five or more games once they've offered an in-person hearing.
The incident came with just 24 seconds left in the Bruins' 4-2 loss. Jarry and Marchand appeared to exchange words after the whistle, and then Marchand leaned in and threw a punch at Jarry, catching him on the side of his helmet. Then as Marchand was being dragged away by a linesman, he went back at Jarry with his stick and jabbed him in the mask.
Earlier in the shift, Jarry had taken a swipe at Charlie Coyle with his stick. There was also an incident in the second period when Marchand whacked a puck off Jarry’s stick as Jarry was trying to give a puck to a Penguins fan. That incident seemed to be relatively harmless at the time, but Jarry didn’t look too happy after it.
It's unclear what was said prior to Marchand's punch. Marchand was not made available to the media after the game, and Jarry did not share any details. The Penguins goalie actually downplayed the incident a bit.
“I think it’s just the heat of the moment,” Jarry said. “I think everyone’s battling hard out there. … It’s part of the game. It just stays on the ice.”
Marchand's history will certainly work against him as the NHL decides on his punishment here. He has been suspended seven times previously in his career, including three games earlier this season for slew-footing Vancouver defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
The in-person hearing could take place Wednesday or Thursday. The Bruins' next game is Thursday night against Carolina, and they'll have to be prepared to play without Marchand.
Patrice Bergeron also left Tuesday's game with an upper-body injury after getting tangled up with Sidney Crosby and falling awkwardly, so it's possible the Bruins could be without two-thirds of their top line.
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