- Associated Press - Thursday, May 16, 2024

Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand wasn’t too outraged over the disputed hit he took that’s sidelined him for the past two games. Because in his view, hurting players comes with the territory in the postseason.

“The more guys you take out, the more advantage your team has,” Marchand said Thursday on the eve of Game 6 against Florida as the Bruins try to avoid playoff elimination. “People don’t say that but that’s just a fact of the game. So every time you step on the ice, someone’s trying to hurt someone. That’s just how it goes in the playoffs.”

Marchand may be back in the lineup Friday after being out since being staggered on a hit to his head from Panthers forward Sam Bennett in the first period of Game 3. Bennett, who was not penalized on the play, has denied punching Marchand intentionally.

Asked if he thought it was a cheap shot, Marchand said, “I think he got away with one but, I mean, that’s part of the game and definitely part of playoff hockey.

“It sucks to be on the other side of it, but that stuff happens,” Marchand added as his team trails 3-2. “I’m not going to sit here and complain about it. … Part of playoffs is trying to hurt every player on the other team.”

Similar to Boston, Colorado returns home Friday with a chance to avoid elimination against Dallas. Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and the Avalanche rallied to grab a third-period lead Wednesday and relied on the stellar play of goaltender Alexandar Georgiev to secure a 5-3 win. It was the first lead of the series for the Avalanche, other than Miles Wood’s overtime winner to end Game 1.

“It was great,” MacKinnon succinctly said of playing from ahead as the Avalanche drew to within 3-2 in the series. “It was do-or-die and we just couldn’t lay an egg again.”

The Avalanche are trying to make some team history, because never have they won a series in which they trailed 3-1. Under that circumstance, they’re 0-5 and only once have sent a series to a decisive Game 7. That was in 2020, against Dallas in the second round. That was also a unique situation, when the games were played inside the Canadian bubble during the pandemic-impacted season.

“It (Wednesday’s game) was the first full 60 of this series for us,” MacKinnon said. “If we can keep doing that, I like our chances.”

The win by Colorado guaranteed that all four second-round series will go a minimum of six games. That sort of balance in round No. 2 has only occurred five other times in NHL history, according to league research. The last time was 2017.

The Avalanche regrouped in Dallas on Wednesday after being surprised by the news that Valeri Nichushkin, the team’s top playoff goal scorer with nine, was suspended for six months without pay as he entered Stage 3 of the league’s player assistance program. The team found out just before Monday’s 5-1 loss to the Stars.

With time to process and move on, the Avalanche played more like the version that won the Stanley Cup title in 2022.

“You’re playing desperate hockey now,” said Makar, who had two goals Wednesday. “Everyone’s got to play on the edge.”

The Avalanche had the league’s best home record during the regular season, but have lost two straight on home ice in the Dallas series.

 

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