Bruins: Brad Marchand Returns, Makes Immediate Impact

The Boston Bruins have gotten off to a surprisingly hot start this season, and they got a major boost on Thursday.

Forward Brad Marchand made his return to the lineup well ahead of schedule when the B’s hosted the Detroit Red Wings, and his presence will only make Boston a more dangerous team.

Coming into this season, I felt that the injuries to players like Marchand and Charlie McAvoy, among others, would hold the Bruins back early in the season. In fact, I anticipated a start so slow that it would ultimately keep the perennial contenders out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Clearly, I was wrong about that, as the Bruins had compiled a 6-1 record prior to Marchand’s return to the lineup. Now, after setting themselves up for one more run at the Cup and enjoying a strong start to the year, this team could be one of the scariest clubs in the NHL.

The Bruins enjoyed having Marchand back in the lineup on Thursday.

Boston’s 34-year-old star had his first point in the books before the first period even wrapped up against the Red Wings. He assisted on the game’s only goal in the opening frame, which was scored by Charlie Coyle.

Marchand then did what he does best when he scored his first goal of the 2022-2023 campaign in period number two. Detroit scored a goal of their own to cut the deficit in half, but Marchand notched his second marker of the second period to recapture Boston’s two-goal advantage.

The Bruins recorded a pair of goals in the third period to seal a convincing 5-1 victory over the Wings. With the win, the B’s moved to 7-1 on the year, which gives them the best record in the NHL. Their +14 goal differential is also the NHL’s top mark.

It’s incredible the way that the narrative can shift in just a few weeks. Fans thought that the Bruins would have to tread water until number 63 made his return, and instead, they thrived without him and now have him available to them, much earlier than expected.

While no team can be crowned champions in the first month of the season, the Bruins have undoubtedly established themselves as a group that we should be ready to see playing hockey well into May.