Jim Montgomery said he’d “love to see” Brad Marchand play Thursday, five weeks ahead of his timeline to return.
Well, the Boston Bruins head coach will get his wish.
Marchand participated fully in Wednesday’s practice, taking shifts with Patrice Bergeron and Jake DeBrusk. After practice, Montgomery said he was “begging doctors every day” to get Marchand back early, and that will happen Thursday night after the Bruins teased fans on Twitter with a gif of Marchand.
Montgomery confirmed to reporters that Marchand will make his debut for the Bruins against the Detroit Red Wings. The reason the forward played it cool by saying “we’ll see” Wednesday when asked whether Thursday’s game was on the table was because the Bruins wanted to make sure he got through practice without any lingering issues. Montgomery also noted that Marchand will not play in back-to-back games, meaning he will not travel to Columbus on Friday for Boston’s game against the Blue Jackets.
Marchand will take his spot on the top line with Bergeron and DeBrusk with Pavel Zacha moving to the third line and Craig Smith moving to the fourth.
The forward, who underwent double hip surgery, certainly will provide an offensive boost to the lineup. The defense played a big role in the 3-1 win over the Dallas Stars on Tuesday and now we’ll see if Marchand can pick up right where he left off last year.
The Bruins host the Red Wings on Thursday night at TD Garden. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET and you can catch all the action beginning at 6 p.m. on NESN.
