WILMINGTON, Mass. — Brad Marchand was back on the ice for Boston Bruins practice Tuesday after sitting out Monday’s loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning with a concussion.
“I feel pretty good,” Marchand said after the session. “Now, it’s just about getting back as fast as I can.”
Marchand first joined fellow winger Tyler Randell and defenseman Zach Trotman for some extra work before practice, taking shots on goalies Tuukka Rask and Jonas Gustavsson.
Marchand, Randell, Trotman and both goalies on the ice a half-hour before Bruins practice. pic.twitter.com/H63dLCFep1
— Zack Cox (@zm_cox) October 13, 2015
He then participated in practice but sported a green non-contact jersey.
Marchand suffered his concussion in a collision with Dale Weise during Saturday’s 4-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. The hit did not appear to be intentional, and Marchand agreed with that assessment.
“I think he just tried to shoot,” he said. “And I knew he was going to shoot. I just tried to get to him before he did, and I think he just brought his elbow up. I had no idea he was there.”
A return date for the 27-year-old remains uncertain, but he confirmed Monday he will travel on the team’s two-game Western Conference road trip.
“I’m just taking it day to day,” Marchand said. “Right now, I’m just practicing with the team with no contact, and we’ll take it from there. Whatever the doctors tell me to do, I’m just going to do what they say. …
“It’s early in the year, and I’m not going to rush back because of the results now. I’d rather miss another game or two than miss potentially a couple of months if I get hit again. It is very tough any time you sit out, especially if the team loses, but at the end of the day, it’s more beneficial to the team and for myself if I come back 100 percent and I don’t get injured again.”
The Bruins, who enter the trip without a win in three games this season, visit the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday and the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday before returning home.
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
