SUNRISE, Fla. — Brad Marchand looked especially short as he tried to buck up his Bruins teammates as they headed for the ice.
With him in shoes and them on skates, his already small stature stood out that much more when they traded shoulder bumps to psyche each other up before the game. But only his height was small. The Bruins captain’s leadership and personality remained outsized.
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Marchad wasn’t cleared to play in Game 5 against the Florida Panthers, but he tried to still be a leader though he wasn’t on the ice. He gave a pregame speech and was in the locker room between periods. Charlie McAvoy said extending the series so Marchand could return added additional motivation to win.
“Having him around is awesome in any capacity. His presence means a lot for us,” McAvoy said. “Everything he carries and everything he means to the team. He was in there during the game constantly giving us love and giving us positivity. … We know what he means to this team. We wanted to bring this back to Boston and hopefully give him a chance to get back.”
Marchand hasn’t played since the second period of Game 3 when Sam Bennett hit him in the head. He’s missed Game 4 and 5 with an undisclosed upper-body injury.
The Bruins hung his No. 63 jersey in his locker to symbolically keep Marchand with them even though he wasn’t on the ice.
“For a professional athlete, it’s not fun to watch your team go through the battle,” David Pastrnak said. “He came in every period and gave a little speech. He was there for us. We want to get him back in the series and keep extending the series.”
Jim Montgomery wasn’t sure if Marchand would be back from Game 6 on Friday. The extra day between games could help his chances.
“He has steps that he has to do before we think he’s going to be a full-time player,” he said. “We’re going to take it day by day.”
