SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — After the Bruins’ 1-0 overtime loss Friday night in Dallas, coach Bruce Cassidy backed Brad Marchand in the belief that his two-minute slashing penalty on Ben Bishop was a result of an embellishment from the Stars goalie.
But a player of Marchand’s ilk cannot be taking 10-minute misconduct penalties every time he doesn’t like a call, especially with the B’s as shorthanded in the leadership department as they are right now without injured Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara. And Marchand earned that extra 10 with his white flag-waving gesture to the officials.
But in the 2-1 win Saturday against the Coyotes, he appeared to have gotten the message as he played one of his best, most complete games in a while.
“It’s crucial right now. Bergy and Z are our two biggest leaders and they’re not there to pick guys up,” Cassidy said. “Kevan Miller’s out, he’s a good leader. Hopefully we get him back, so he can take care of some of that. But even just to stay focused on the ice for his own personal success and team success and not let the officials frustrate him if he feels there’s a call not going his way.
“It affects the whole team if now he’s sitting for 10. Now we’re using guys in certain situations where he should be out there as a dominant player. He likes to stir the drink a little, but hopefully some of the (misconducts), or most of them, are behind him now. He’s had a few.”
The Bruins shuffled the lines in Bergeron’s absence, pairing Czech countrymen David Krejci and David Pastrnak with Anders Bjork as the left wing. It did not quite take off, but Cassidy plans to roll the combo out again in Detroit Wednesday night.
Tuukka Rask will play against the Red Wings. “We want to get him back in there. He was terrific in Dallas,” Cassidy said.