Ahead of a pivotal Game 4 against the Florida Panthers, Bruins Coach Jim Montgomery addressed key issues during his pre-game press conference, particularly the health of captain Brad Marchand and the team's response to his injury.
Marchand, injured by a hit from Sam Bennett in Game 3, is out tonight and considered day-to-day. Montgomery expressed concern about the nature of the hit, noting,
"It's outside the lines, he knew what he was doing,"
and admitted some responsibility for the team's lack of immediate retaliation.
Teammates Pavel Zacha and Trent Frederic voiced their intentions to increase physicality in response. Zacha stated,
"To go after our captain, that's not okay with us. We're ready to be a little bit harder on them," highlighting the team's resolve. Frederic emphasized the collective effort, "It's going to be all of us as a group... we're going to have to step up."
As the Bruins gear up for Game 4 without Marchand, Montgomery signaled a strong response,
"We have to really go after their top guys. To let them know it's not OK."
This sets the stage for a highly charged and possibly physical game as Boston seeks to even the series and respond forcefully to Florida's aggressive tactics.
