Bruins captain Marchand (upper body) misses G4
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Greg Wyshynski, ESPN
BOSTON — Bruins captain Brad Marchand missed the 3-2 loss in Game 4 of their series against the Florida Panthers on Sunday night, and his teammates are looking to avenge him.
“I think it pissed off everyone. I think that whole team kind of ticks everyone off, to be honest,” said Bruins center Trent Frederic before the game.
Marchand left Game 3 after two periods with an upper body injury. Coach Jim Montgomery said he’s day-to-day and wouldn’t disclose whether the Bruins star had suffered a concussion. Marchand is the Bruins’ leading scorer in the playoffs with 10 points (3 goals, 7 assists) in 10 games.
His injury might have resulted from a controversial play involving Panthers center Sam Bennett, who was making his first appearance since Game 2 of the opening round against the Tampa Bay Lightning. As Marchand went to hit Bennett near the benches, Bennett appeared to throw a gloved punch with his right hand as they made contact.
Bennett wasn’t penalized on the play and didn’t receive any supplemental discipline from the NHL Department of Player Safety.
Bruins center Pavel Zacha expects a response to Marchand’s injury in Game 4.
“I think we have to really go after their top guys. To let them know it’s not OK. To go after our captain, that’s not OK with us. We’re ready to be physical again today and be a little bit harder on them,” said Zacha.
Montgomery stressed that he didn’t classify Bennett’s play as “dirty” but that “it was outside the lines.” He noted that Bennett had a history of these types of plays. In 2023 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Bennett was accused of throwing a gloved punch at rookie Matthew Knies before slamming him to the ice. Knies left the series with a concussion.
“I think it was someone that plays the game on the edge and you knew what he was doing. I don’t know if you’ve seen the picture from behind, but he clearly loaded up,” said the coach.
“I think we have to really go after their top guys. To let them know it’s not OK. To go after our captain, that’s not OK with us. We’re ready to be physical again today and be a little bit harder on them.”
Bruins center Pavel Zacha
Montgomery took the blame for the Bruins not retaliating for their captain’s injury during Game 3. He said the game situation — Boston trailing entering the third period but still in the game — played into that, but he regretted that there wasn’t any pushback.
“I feel that that’s my fault that we didn’t retaliate to some degree, but you’re trying to get back in a game. So there’s reasons why we didn’t, but again, I think there’s something that I personally take responsibility for,” he said.
Frederic said he and his teammates didn’t know the extent of the Bennett play until after the game.
“I think guys have now seen a replay. It slowed down and kind of see what he did at the time. I don’t know if we knew how bad it was and I guess now we do,” he said.
As far as retribution, Frederic said it’s a “fine line” considering that the Bruins are down in the series and the on-ice officials are already on high alert during what has been a physical series.
“I’m sure all these refs are aware of what happened in the last three games and what happened last game,” he said. “In a perfect world, where we can just go do something about it and it’s an eyeball for an eyeball. Sometimes it’s not exactly how it works and you just got to find your spot.”
Frederic said it’ll be hard to replace what Marchand brings to the team.
“He brings more than what you just see on the ice. So we’re going to have a lot of guys step up and talk more. On the ice, his actual play is going to be hard to make up,” he said.
Each of the teams in the Eastern Conference playoff mix has 15 to 17 games remaining in the regular season.
Three teams in the Atlantic Division have all but clinched their spots — the Florida Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning — and two from the Metro are essentially shoo-ins, the Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes. The New Jersey Devils are knocking on that door, and a current three-game winning streak certainly helps.
The Ottawa Senators have opened up a nice gap as the first wild card, with 75 points and 26 regulation wins in 65 games. Beyond them, things get interesting.
The Columbus Blue Jackets technically are in the second wild-card spot thanks to getting to 70 points in fewer games played (65) than the New York Rangers (66). The Montreal Canadiens (69 points) are right behind them, followed by the Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins, both with 68 points.
If it comes down to the regulation-wins tiebreaker at season’s end, the Rangers have an upper hand over all the rest, with 29 in that column, compared with 23 for the Jackets, Red Wings and Bruins, and just 22 for the Habs.
Four of the five teams are in action Saturday:
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The Bruins host the Lightning at 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
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The Canadiens host the Panthers also at 7 p.m. (NHL Network)
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The Blue Jackets face the visiting Rangers also at 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
And if they have their sights set on catching the Senators, these clubs are all rooting for the Maple Leafs, who host Ottawa (7 p.m., ESPN+). It’s a great night for multiple streaming devices!
There is a lot of runway left until April 17, the final day of the regular season, and we’ll help you track it all with the NHL playoff watch. As we traverse the final stretch, we’ll provide details on all the playoff races, along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2025 NHL draft lottery.
Note: Playoff chances are via Stathletes.
Jump ahead:
Current playoff matchups
Today’s schedule
Yesterday’s scores
Expanded standings
Race for No. 1 pick
Current playoff matchups
Eastern Conference
A1 Florida Panthers vs. WC1 Ottawa Senators
A2 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. A3 Tampa Bay Lightning
M1 Washington Capitals vs. WC2 Columbus Blue Jackets
M2 Carolina Hurricanes vs. M3 New Jersey Devils
Western Conference
C1 Winnipeg Jets vs. WC2 Calgary Flames
C2 Dallas Stars vs. C3 Colorado Avalanche
P1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. WC1 Minnesota Wild
P2 Edmonton Oilers vs. P3 Los Angeles Kings
Saturday’s games
Note: All times ET. All games not on TNT or NHL Network are available to stream on ESPN+ (local blackout restrictions apply).
Vegas Golden Knights at Buffalo Sabres, 12:30 p.m.
New Jersey Devils at Pittsburgh Penguins, 3 p.m. (ABC/ESPN+)
Washington Capitals at San Jose Sharks, 5 p.m.
Tampa Bay Lightning at Boston Bruins, 7 p.m.
Ottawa Senators at Toronto Maple Leafs, 7 p.m.
Florida Panthers at Montreal Canadiens, 7 p.m. (NHLN)
Carolina Hurricanes at Philadelphia Flyers, 7 p.m.
New York Rangers at Columbus Blue Jackets, 7 p.m.
St. Louis Blues at Minnesota Wild, 8 p.m.
Nashville Predators at Los Angeles Kings, 8 p.m.
Chicago Blackhawks at Vancouver Canucks, 10 p.m.
Friday’s scoreboard
Carolina Hurricanes 4, Detroit Red Wings 2
Edmonton Oilers 2, New York Islanders 1 (OT)
Winnipeg Jets 4, Dallas Stars 1
Colorado Avalanche 4, Calgary Flames 2
Anaheim Ducks 2, Nashville Predators 1
Seattle Kraken 4, Utah Hockey Club 2
Expanded standings
Atlantic Division
Points: 85
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: A1
Games left: 16
Points pace: 105.6
Next game: @ MTL (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 81
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: A2
Games left: 17
Points pace: 102.2
Next game: vs. OTT (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 79
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: A3
Games left: 17
Points pace: 99.7
Next game: @ BOS (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 99.8%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 75
Regulation wins: 26
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 17
Points pace: 94.6
Next game: @ TOR (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 98.7%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 69
Regulation wins: 22
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 17
Points pace: 87.1
Next game: vs. FLA (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 10%
Tragic number: 34
Points: 68
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 16
Points pace: 84.5
Next game: vs. VGK (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 11.1%
Tragic number: 31
Points: 68
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 15
Points pace: 83.2
Next game: vs. TB (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 8%
Tragic number: 29
Points: 56
Regulation wins: 21
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 18
Points pace: 71.8
Next game: vs. VGK (Saturday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 23
Metro Division
Points: 94
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: M1
Games left: 16
Points pace: 116.8
Next game: @ SJ (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 84
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: M2
Games left: 16
Points pace: 104.4
Next game: @ PHI (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 78
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: M3
Games left: 15
Points pace: 95.5
Next game: @ PIT (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 97.1%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 70
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 17
Points pace: 88.3
Next game: vs. NYR (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 19.2%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 70
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 16
Points pace: 87.0
Next game: @ CBJ (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 41%
Tragic number: 33
Points: 66
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 17
Points pace: 83.3
Next game: vs. FLA (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 12.7%
Tragic number: 31
Points: 64
Regulation wins: 17
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 15
Points pace: 78.3
Next game: vs. CAR (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 1.7%
Tragic number: 25
Points: 64
Regulation wins: 18
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 14
Points pace: 77.2
Next game: vs. NJ (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0.6%
Tragic number: 23
Central Division
Points: 96
Regulation wins: 38
Playoff position: C1
Games left: 15
Points pace: 117.5
Next game: @ SEA (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 86
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: C2
Games left: 17
Points pace: 108.5
Next game: @ COL (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 83
Regulation wins: 35
Playoff position: C3
Games left: 15
Points pace: 101.6
Next game: vs. DAL (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 79
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 16
Points pace: 98.2
Next game: vs. STL (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 94.6%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 69
Regulation wins: 22
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 16
Points pace: 85.7
Next game: @ MIN (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 22.7%
Tragic number: 31
Points: 69
Regulation wins: 21
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 16
Points pace: 85.7
Next game: @ VAN (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 31.8%
Tragic number: 31
Points: 57
Regulation wins: 21
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 17
Points pace: 71.9
Next game: @ LA (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 21
Points: 49
Regulation wins: 17
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 16
Points pace: 60.9
Next game: @ VAN (Saturday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 11
Pacific Division
Points: 85
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: P1
Games left: 17
Points pace: 107.2
Next game: @ BUF (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 80
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: P2
Games left: 16
Points pace: 99.4
Next game: @ NYR (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 99.4%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 79
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: P3
Games left: 18
Points pace: 101.2
Next game: vs. NSH (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 99.4%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 71
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 17
Points pace: 89.6
Next game: @ TOR (Monday)
Playoff chances: 29.2%
Tragic number: N/A
Points: 71
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 17
Points pace: 89.6
Next game: vs. CHI (Saturday)
Playoff chances: 22.9%
Tragic number: 35
Points: 65
Regulation wins: 21
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 16
Points pace: 80.8
Next game: @ STL (Sunday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 27
Points: 62
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 15
Points pace: 75.9
Next game: vs. WPG (Sunday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 22
Points: 45
Regulation wins: 13
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 15
Points pace: 55.1
Next game: vs. WSH (Saturday)
Playoff chances: ~0%
Tragic number: 5
Race for the No. 1 pick
The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process are here. Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the OHL’s Erie Otters, is No. 1 on the draft board.
Points: 45
Regulation wins: 13
Points: 49
Regulation wins: 17
Points: 56
Regulation wins: 21
Points: 57
Regulation wins: 21
Points: 62
Regulation wins: 23
Points: 64
Regulation wins: 17
Points: 64
Regulation wins: 18
Points: 65
Regulation wins: 21
Points: 66
Regulation wins: 23
Points: 68
Regulation wins: 23
Points: 68
Regulation wins: 23
Points: 69
Regulation wins: 21
Points: 69
Regulation wins: 22
Points: 69
Regulation wins: 22
Points: 70
Regulation wins: 29
Points: 71
Regulation wins: 23
The Texas Rangers‘ pitching staff took another hit Friday, when right-hander Jon Gray suffered a right wrist fracture.
Gray was struck by a line drive from Colorado Rockies first baseman Michael Toglia to lead off the fourth inning that knocked him out of the game.
“Not good news, not good news,” manager Bruce Bochy told reporters. “It’s terrible. I feel awful for him, to be this close to getting the season going. It’s just not good news. I’ll get back in there and find out more, but right now, there is a fracture.”
Gray’s injury is the third setback for the Rangers rotation this week. The team said Thursday that left-hander Cody Bradford would start the season on the injured list because of soreness in his throwing elbow. Tyler Mahle had been scratched from a start with forearm soreness, but the right-hander returned to pitch in a minor league game Thursday.
Gray went 5-6 with a 4.47 ERA in 23 appearances (19 starts) for the Rangers last season, when he was shut down in September for a foot injury that required surgery. He is in the final year of a four-year, $56 million deal.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
TOKYO — Japanese star Shohei Ohtani showed off some prodigious power in his return to the Tokyo Dome on Saturday night.
In an exhibition game against the Yomiuri Giants, the three-time Most Valuable Player belted a long two-run homer to right field in the third inning to give the Dodgers a 4-0 lead, setting off a roar from the roughly 42,000 fans in attendance.
The Dodgers put on quite a power display in the third with Michael Conforto, Ohtani and Teoscar Hernández all going deep to give Los Angeles a 5-0 advantage.
The Dodgers are playing in Japan as part of the Tokyo Series. The team is playing two exhibition games against Japanese teams before starting the regular season with two games against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to have at least 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in one season in 2024. He played several seasons for the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan before coming to the U.S. in 2018 with the Los Angeles Angels.
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