Oh, Brad Marchand.
The NHL’s department of player safety is likely going to have to press its big red ‘Brad Marchand’ button on its phone once again after Marchand’s latest indiscretion.
Let’s roll the tape:
Anthony Duclair suffers knee injury after collision with Brad Marchand pic.twitter.com/Z3LdZaG6Qq
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) March 10, 2018
Is there anyone more talented yet more frustrating than Marchand?
To be fair to Marchand, he actually appeared to try to get out of the way. Of course, in doing so he drilled Duclair in the head and Duclair subsequently came down very awkwardly on his knee (it folded underneath him).
Marchand was given an interference penalty on the play. Duclair hasn’t returned to the game, understandably.
UPDATE:
Q said Duclair will miss one or two weeks.
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) March 10, 2018
Trying to give Marchand the benefit of the doubt in any situation is exceedingly difficult. And he does a good job of trying to make a bad hit look sort of accidental.
Maybe it was incidental contact, maybe it wasn't. But Brad Marchand long ago lost the benefit of the doubt on plays like that.
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) March 10, 2018
Of course, there’s gotta be a better way to evade a guy then jumping up and clotheslining him.
Marchand was handed a five-game ban for elbowing Marcus Johansson earlier this season.
Alright, PHT readers. How many games is Marchand getting this time?
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Scott Billeck is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @scottbilleck