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Bruins’ Brad Marchand set to return against Kraken

Feb 8, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) lets go with a shot between Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin (8) and center Dominik Simon (49) during the third period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Bruins will have Brad Marchand back in the lineup when they visit the Seattle Kraken on Thursday night in the opener of a six-game trip.

Marchand, who leads the Bruins with 28 assists and is tied with David Pastrnak for the team lead in points (49), was suspended for six games by the NHL for punching and high-sticking Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry on Feb. 8.

Where to slot Marchand in the lineup will be a head-scratcher, however.

He previously was on a line with Patrice Bergeron and Craig Smith, but Smith has settled in nicely with Trent Frederic and Charlie Coyle, and Boston coach Bruce Cassidy said he’d like to keep that trio together.

“Someone’s probably going to be a little bit unhappy,” Cassidy said. “Someone’s going to have to get moved around. It’s just the way it is, so we’ll sort through that when we practice Wednesday in Seattle and put the best plan together as possible.”

Wherever Marchand lines up, he will rejoin a team that is coming off perhaps its best effort of the season.

The Bruins ran over the visiting Colorado Avalanche 5-1 on Monday. The Avalanche entered Wednesday’s action as the top team in the NHL.

“We just stayed in the moment,” Pastrnak said. “We were really energized. It was a great win for us and two big points.”

The Kraken will look to end a five-game losing streak.

Seattle is coming off a 5-2 loss against the visiting New York Islanders on Tuesday, the Kraken’s third game in four nights.

The Kraken have been plagued by too many mistakes while trying to exit their zone, leading to prime scoring chances by the opposition.

“We’ve got to figure out our D-zone a bit and communicate down there and kind of make plays,” center Riley Sheahan said. “Just be a little more relaxed.”

On the other end of the ice, Sheahan said the Kraken need to be more physical and use that tactic to maintain possession in the offensive zone, something they did well against the Islanders.

“When we can forecheck like we were, move the puck around in the O-zone and get it to the net and kind of build off that, that’s when we’re at our best,” Sheahan said.

Seattle right wing Joonas Donskoi likely will return to the lineup after being a healthy scratch for the first time this season on Tuesday.

Donskoi scored for the Kraken in a 3-2 loss in Boston on Feb. 1, but that remains his only goal in 51 games this season. He scored 17 goals in 51 games for the Avalanche last season.

Seattle also scratched defenseman Carson Soucy against the Islanders on Tuesday.

Soucy had missed seven games with a lower-body injury before returning in a 5-3 loss at the Winnipeg Jets on Feb. 17. He then sat out two of the next three games.

Cassidy was particularly impressed with the play of Taylor Hall for Boston during Marchand’s suspension.

Hall had three assists in the win against the Avalanche to give him a goal and four assists in the six games Marchand was absent.

“Especially the play-making part,” Cassidy said. “He’s made a lot of nice plays with those extra minutes.”

–Field Level Media

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