Columbus coach John Tortorella didn't have much to say about the jab Brad Marchand delivered to the back of defenseman Scott Harrington's head in front of the Blue Jackets net near the end of Boston's 2-1 loss in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference second round Tuesday.
"I'm not giving you my thoughts. I don't need to give you thoughts. You can come up with something there," said Tortorella shortly after his team took a 2-1 series lead on the Bruins with Game 4 scheduled for Thursday.
Come on, Marchand pic.twitter.com/HOP6mScuLa
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) May 1, 2019The NHL Department of Player Safety may have more to say than Tortorella. Marchand is a repeat offender and the League doesn't take kindly to hits to the head, especially from behind, and especially while a player is in a defenseless position.
Marchand was clearly frustrated that he went his third straight game in this series without a point. He didn't not speak to the media after the game. And now there's a chance he won't be part of the Bruins' plan to even up this series. Although at press time there was no announcement from the league about the possibility of a hearing with Marchand, every play, especially ones that create a social media uproar, gets reviewed.
What happened between Marchand and Harrington didn't cost the Bruins, but an earlier play by Marchand did. He put his hands and stick up in the air to brace against Boone Jenner, who was flying in on the forecheck. The ensuing high-sticking penalty at 10:49 of the second period led to Matt Duchene's power-play goal and a 2-0 Columbus lead. Marchand may have seen Zdeno Chara make a similar move against Josh Anderson, but Marchand must know by now he's not Chara and is not going to get away with anything if the officials can help it.
Clean up in Aisle Net. pic.twitter.com/RBLhZrjUpU
— x-Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) May 1, 2019Earlier this week Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy came to the defense of Marchand because of the outrage his stick stomp of Cam Atkinson's twig caused and because Marchand took a penalty (his first of the playoffs) in Game 2. Cassidy and the Bruins have no choice but to have his back again, but Marchand might not be able to avoid the long arm of the law.
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