They should be able to survive that. They've basically played the past nine games without him as well.
The rookie winger was in the lineup for those games but he just wasn't the same player he had been earlier in the season. That Brad Marchand was a key player at both ends of the ice, who provided the Bruins with timely goals and bundles of energy. But of late, his offensive production has dissipated and some questionable decision making had returned to his game.
And no decision was more questionable than the choice he made to pop Columbus forward R.J. Umberger with an elbow to the back of the head as Marchand skated by him in the neutral zone midway through the second period of Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Blue Jackets. No penalty was called on the play, but the video evidence left little doubt that Marchand would be facing an unpaid vacation.
The league made that official Thursday afternoon by handing him a two-game suspension. It was a just finding that even the Bruins shouldn't find fault with, as the league continues its attempts to reduce head injuries.
Marchand likely won't agree, but this might just be the best thing for him as well. A chance to step back and reassess his play for a couple games might help him find his old form again.
For most of the season, Marchand has been one of the most pleasant surprises on the team and a big reason why the Bruins sit in first place in the Northeast Division with less than a month left in the regular season. He came into the year without a guaranteed spot on the roster, but secured a position on the fourth line with a strong camp.
Teaming with Greg Campbell and Shawn Thornton, that unit was Boston's most consistent and effective early in the year, providing the energy and physical play expected from a fourth line and far more scoring than any team would have the right to expect from their fourth line.
By January, Marchand's strong play earned him a promotion to a scoring line, and he clicked immediately with Patrice Bergeron and Mark Recchi. While top-liners David Krejci, Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton suffered through slumps, the Bergeron line carried the Bruins' offense. Marchand was a big part of that, putting up 13-7-20 totals in his first 21 games on the line and even forcing his way into some talk of Calder Trophy consideration.
But like many young players, Marchand's ascension eventually hit some turbulence. He's gone nine games without a goal, managing just one assist in that span and no points in his last six games. More disconcerting is the fact that the agitator so adept at driving opponents crazy and drawing penalties earlier this year was now the one who often looked out of control and was putting the Bruins shorthanded too often.
Last Friday, a bad interference penalty that lead to an Islanders' power-play goal with just two seconds left in the second period led to Marchand being benched in the third. He played with more jump on Tuesday and created some offensive chances, but the hit on Umberger shows his decision-making still needs some work and maybe a longer break will help him find the way to walk that fine line between getting opponents off their game and getting himself tossed in the box once again.
"We have to live with it and he's got to learn from it," Bruins coach Claude Julien said after Thursday's morning skate in Nashville. "And if he learns from it hopefully it won't happen again."
Marchand will miss Thursday's game in Nashville and Saturday's matchup with the Leafs in Toronto. His absence will give some others an opportunity to show what they can do. Rookie Tyler Seguin returned to the lineup Tuesday and scored the only goal in the shootout. He did little during regulation though, and these next two games might be his best chance to prove he deserves to remain in the lineup as the stakes are raised heading into the playoffs.
Michael Ryder was a healthy scratch for the first time as a Bruin to open a spot for Seguin, and will get a chance to return to the lineup with Marchand out. This is his chance to show he doesn't deserve to become a regular fixture in the press box.
It's also a chance for Julien to find some chemistry with new combinations on the second and third lines. He had already broken up the Marchand-Bergeron-Recchi line by moving Rich Peverley into Recchi's spot. Now Julien can tinker even more to try to get a line other than the Krejci unit going again and add some balance to the Bruins' attack.
Marchand needs to be a part of that attack as well. He's still fourth on the team with 19 goals, eighth with 35 points and leads the club with four shorthanded tallies. The Bruins need him to get back to that level of play, and to learn how to harness his energy without needless penalties and dangerous plays.
The hit on Umberger fortunately didn't cause an injury, but it was reckless. With the league's attempt to crack down on head shots, it's exactly the kind of hit players have to avoid if they want to stay on the ice. The Bruins need Marchand on the ice as they head into the postseason, but they need the productive and slightly more judicious version of Marchand from earlier this season. Maybe this brief ban will help him regain that form.
