Three Brad Marchand Props To Consider Ahead Of Bruins Wing’s Return

BOSTON — Brad Marchand will make his 2022-23 Bruins debut Thursday, and it would be hard to blame Boston fans for being excited.

The left wing underwent double hip surgery in the offseason, and his return was expected sometime after Thanksgiving. But head coach Jim Montgomery made the surprise announcement ahead of his team’s matchup against the Detroit Red Wings at TD Garden.

Marchand was “ahead of schedule” on his recovery and had been making strides after participating in light practice. The 34-year-old had even circled his return date to be earlier than the six-month timeline that was expected.

Montgomery said in his news conference Marchand is expected to play around 16-17 minutes but will primarily go off “the flow of the game.” The left wing will not be playing back-to-back games straight away.

Even with the possible expectation of limited minutes, oddsmakers at DraftKings Sportsbook are expecting a strong return for the four-time All-Star. It’s not hard to see why as Marchand has tallied 80 or more points in five of his last six seasons. If Marchand plays enough to be at least be scoring specialist for the Black and Gold on Thursday night, here are three props to consider.

First scorer +1100
Let’s start with a flashy prop. Marchand is expected to start on the first line with Patrice Bergeron and Jake DeBrusk, so this has a higher probability of hitting. The Bruins have scored the first goal in a game in five of their seven opening games this season, which is another reason why this prop has a good chance of hitting. Again, oddsmakers got in front of the high anticipation of Marchand’s return, so he does have the second-shortest odds behind David Pastrnak, who leads Boston in points. But it would just be poetic if Marchand were to score the first Bruins goal of the game in his season debut. A $100 bet pays out $1,200.

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Over 3.5 shots on goal +130
You’re getting this at decent odds, and a $100 bet would pay out $230, so that’s a nice return. The risk of this prop not hitting would be if Montgomery decides to take things easy on Marchand and the left wing doesn’t play enough to achieve at least four shots on goal. But if Marchand is getting run with the first line and if he is at least 90% at full strength, the 34-year-old should be getting plenty of shots up in Montgomery’s high-pace system.

Over 0.5 power play points +105
The Bruins offense has been on fire to start the season, but the power play could use some improvements, which is where Marchand comes in. Who better to improve the power play than to have another offensive weapon out there with the likes of Bergeron, Pastrnak and David Krejci. Again, while Marchand is projected to be in the first line, there is no clear indication of if Montgomery will throw Marchand out on the power play. If the left wing is at relative full health, it’s safe to expect that he will be, but that is an unknown ahead of the 7 p.m. ET puck drop. However, if Marchand is part of Boston’s power play, he is sure to make a big impact. A $100 bet pays out $205.