P.K. Subban Had Callous Take On Brad Marchand-Sam Bennett Incident

The fallout of the Brad Marchand-Sam Bennett incident in Game 3 caused an uproar among Bruins fans, but ESPN analyst P.K. Subban didn’t have that same reaction.

Bennett laid out Marchand in the Panthers’ Game 3 win over the Bruins at TD Garden. Further replays of the incident showed the Florida forward snuck in a punch at the Boston captain. NHL player safety reportedly was not privy to an angle that showed the punch but felt no discipline was required.

The aftermath had Bruins fans keeping the officials under the microscope throughout the second round, but Subban felt the NHL got it right.

“Brad Marchand, I’ve seen him get over on hundreds, maybe thousands of guys,” the ESPN analyst said on “Pardon the Interruption” on Tuesday. “This was one moment where he was the hydrant, not the dog. Probably a long time coming for him but it’s unfortunate he got knocked out of the series. That’s just the part of the game, though. That’s playoff hockey. These things are going to happen.”

Subban also wasn’t up in arms about the non-goaltender interference call in Game 4 that allowed Bennett to even up the matchup and help Florida take a 3-1 series lead. The retired defenseman’s comments weren’t met well by Bruins fans on social media, but the 35-year-old laughed off the critiques.

However, it is clear Subban used Marchand’s reputation against him, which he’s quite familiar with from the iconic Bruins-Montreal Canadiens rivalry in the early 2010s.

Boston its season alive in Game 5 on Tuesday, so Marchand’s focus will be trying to return to help the B’s come back from a 3-1 series deficit for the first time in franchise history.