Sam Bennett's suspension fate confirmed after hit on Brad Marchand

The Florida Panthers took a 2-1 series lead over the Boston Bruins last night. Making matters worse for the Bruins is the fact that Sam Bennett will not be suspended for his hit on Brad Marchand during the game.

The hit nocked Marchand out of the game, as he would not return even when the Bruins were attempting a 3rd period comeback. Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery thought the play was dangerous and that Bennett intentionally was trying to take out the Bruins most important player.






Clearly though, the NHL Department of Player Safety disagrees. If Bennett was going to receive any kind of supplementary discipline for the hit, the league would have announced it by 5PM EST. Since that deadline has come and gone, we know for sure that Bennett will be playing in game four.




One fan noticed that Bennett punched Marchand in the face on the play as well, getting a free shot in on the Bruins captain. It seems unlikely that the punch alone would be what knocked Marchand out of the game, but it does show perhaps some intention on Bennett's part to injure the Bruins captain.




That being said, its all in the past now. We will just have to see if Marchand is ready to return for game four and whether or not he will still be an effective player on the ice for the Bruins as they try to even up the series.