The incident of the playoffs has definitely been the one between Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand.
The two players battled for the puck at high speed when Marchand crashed into the boards.
He hasn’t played since, and if Bruins fans weren’t upset enough, they definitely were when TNT released an alternate angle of the incident, proving that Sam Bennett snuck in a punch at the Boston captain’s head just before they made contact.
The fact that Sam Bennett wasn’t suspended—and the fact that Carson Soucy of the Vancouver Canucks was after a cross-check on Connor McDavid—has caused upset among Bruins fans.
The Department of Player Safety reportedly saw the incident as a ’hockey play,’ and therefore didn’t suspend Bennett.
Many have slammed the DoPS for their inconsistency, not suspending a player for sucker-punching an opponent’s captain. But P.K. Subban feels otherwise.
Earlier this week, he voiced his take on the incident, and it was a controversial one.
”Brad Marchand, I’ve seen him get over on hundreds, maybe thousands of guys,” Subban said on ’Pardon the Interruption’ on Tuesday. ”This was one moment where he was the hydrant, not the dog. Probably a long time coming for him but it’s unfortunate he got knocked out of the series. That’s just the part of the game, though. That’s playoff hockey. These things are going to happen.”
Marchand’s status for Thursday night’s Game 6 has yet to be determined, but getting him back in the lineup would be a huge boost for the Boston Bruins, who need to win to keep their season alive.
Understandably, Bruins fans were upset with Subban’s take on Marchand’s injury, with many jumping to their captain’s defense.
”Love it when major network analysts cheer for intentional cheap shots that cause injuries, especially to star players in the playoffs, it’s super cool and helps grow the sport in a positive way, great work,” one fan said on social media.
”I love Subban, but I think his own bias got in the way on this take. L take,” another said.
” P.K.’s just pissed that Marchand can touch the Cup and he can’t,” a third added.
