In the latest edition of Boston Bruins News & Rumors, Brad Marchand reaches a milestone, Linus Ullmark is fined by the NHL, there is some positive news with the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League, an opponent coach speaks about playing the Black and Gold and more.
Brad Marchand Plays in 1,000th Career Game
Tuesday night (Feb. 13) the Bruins hosted the Tampa Bay Lightning and when Marchand took his first shift, it was his 1,000th career regular season game with Boston. In the 3-2 shootout loss, Marchand had two assists on goals by Charlie McAvoy and James van Riemsdyk in the second period.
“I was emotional,” said Marchand. “I really kind of tried to block a lot of it out of my mind for the game. I just tried to stay focused in the moment, but it’s something that I’ve gone through, a lot of these moments with Bergy, Krech, and Zee. And it’s one of the things I remember that they did. They tried to just take it in and remember the moment, and that was kind of an opportunity to do that.”
Marchand is on the verge of another milestone in his career as he is three goals away from 400. Through his first 1,000 games, he has 397 goals and 515 points for 912 points. Thirty-five of his 397 goals are shorthanded.
Linus Ullmark Fined by the NHL
Ullmark was in the net for the Bruins against Tampa Bay and suffered the loss. In the third period, however, he was attempting to make a save when the Lightning’s Michael Eyssimont barreled into him in the crease. The former Vezina Trophy winner high-sticked Eyssimont and he heard from the NHL on Wednesday (Feb. 14).
The league announced that they fined Ullmark $5,000, the maximum allowed under the CBA. You can’t blame Ullmark for being upset as Eyssimont was not even assessed a penalty on the play and a goal was taken off the board by the referees after the puck went into the net. Ullmark is the second Bruins player to be fined in the last week as Matt Grzelcyk was fined $5,000 for spearing Max Pacioretty of the Washington Capitals in the first period on a 3-0 loss on Feb. 10 (from ‘Bruins’ Matt Grzelcyk fined for spearing Caps’ Max Pacioretty,’ Boston Herald, Feb. 11, 2024).
Jon Cooper Praises the Bruins After Win
Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper, who won the Stanley Cup with the Lightning in 2019-20 and 2020-21, spoke after his team’s shootout victory at the TD Garden about the rivalry between the two Atlantic Division rivals.
“They’re phenomenal,” said Cooper. They’re a tremendous team and have been since I got into this league. It’s always been great games. Personnel has changed, but some of the guys are still over there. Congrats to Marchy (Brad Marchand) on 1,000 games today. I’ve been battling against him for a very, very long time. Great milestone. Always fun games in a hostile environment. We love playing here.”
It’s not always a coach who will praise the Bruins like that, but Cooper is a veteran and knows that each time the two teams play, it’s going to be a fun 60 minutes, or in the case of Wednesday night, 65 minutes.
Mason Lohrei Returns to Practice
Earlier this season, prospect Mason Lohrei played well in his time in Boston, but once the Bruins got healthy when Derek Forbort and Brandon Carlo returned, he was sent down to Providence. He has played well with the P-Bruins, but recently suffered an injury with a skate cut.
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Wednesday (Feb. 14) he returned to practice and was a full participant. The former Ohio State defenseman is one injury away from returning to the NHL, however, with Forbort’s recent struggles, it makes you wonder why they haven’t called him up to give him another chance. It should be coming sooner rather than later.
Bruins Upcoming Schedule
The Bruins, who are 1-2-1 on their current seven-game homestand, still have three games remaining against the Seattle Kraken, Los Angeles Kings, and Dallas Stars before they head out on their annual Western Canada trip that also includes a stop in Seattle. They are just four points ahead of the charging Florida Panthers in the Atlantic Division.