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The Boston Bruins have started the season 0-3, and things were seemingly going from bad to worse when Brad Marchand exited Saturday’s game early after taking an inadvertent elbow to the head by Montreal Canadiens forward Dale Weise. Marchand was attempting to check Weise and missed his angle, and the end result was Marchand being diagnosed with a concussion. The Bruins played Monday’s matinee tilt with the Tampa Bay Lightning without Marchand, and seemed to be off to a hot start, scoring two goals on their first two power players before collapsing by the end of the first period and never regaining the lead.
Marchand said he's feeling good. Didn't really have symptoms, but followed protocol after contact to the head
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) October 13, 2015
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Brad Marchand was skating Tuesday in a green jersey, which is a positive sign for the Bruins. Marchand stated “I feel pretty good,” after the practice. “Now, it’s just about getting back as fast as I can.” Head injuries, especially concussions, are monitored very heavily by the league and team doctors, and Brad Marchand skating was a good first step to show that he might not be out of the Bruins lineup for long. Brad Marchand traveled with the Bruins, who are starting a two game road trip against the Colorado Avalanche on October 14th and concluding it against the Arizona Coyotes on the 17th before returning home to play against Philadelphia on the 21st. As one of the teams apparent new leaders, and best goal scorer, as well as a top penalty killer, Marchand will be sorely missed if he misses any extended period of time.
Marchand joining the team for practice pic.twitter.com/K4YrM5Wiv6
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) October 13, 2015
The Bruins have currently been practicing with Loui Eriksson in Brad Marchand‘s spot on the left of Patrice Bergeron, and Brett Connolly skating in Eriksson’s spot on the right of Bergeron. The line pairings at practice on Tuesday were as follows:
Loui Eriksson – Patrice Bergeron – Brett Connolly
Matt Beleskey – David Krejci – David Pastrnak
Chris Kelly – Ryan Spooner – Jimmy Hayes
Zac Rinaldo – Max Talbot – Jonas Kemppainen – Tyler Randell
and the defensive skaters included captain Zdeno Chara, Colin Miller, Torey Krug, Adam McQuaid, Kevan Miller, and Zach Trotman. Joe Morrow was missing due to flu symptoms, and the Bruins have placed him on the Injured Reserve, and he is expected to miss a game or two. Tommy Cross was called up in his place, and it is still unknown if he will get a chance to play in Morrow’s absence.
Marchand made it clear that he would be taking as much time as he needed to heal from the injury. “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 potentially miss a couple 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” Three games into the season isn’t the right time to hit the panic button, but the Bruins had better figure out their defensive and goaltending woes quickly if they plan on turning the season around before it gets to the panicking point.
Follow Brandon Share-Cohen on Twitter @BShareCohen to discuss all things Bruins and sports