The Boston Bruins won't have captain Brad Marchand in the lineup while trying to avoid elimination in Game 5 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series against Florida on Tuesday.
"[Marchand] is not an option," Bruins' coach Jim Montgomery said after Boston's morning skate.
This will be the second straight postseason contest Marchand has missed after he suffered an upper-body injury taking a hit from Panthers forward Sam Bennett in Game 3. He is considered day-to-day with the ailment.
Marchand appeared to be making an effort to get back in for Game 5 as the Bruins trail the Panthers, 3-1. He did participate in Boston's skate but wasn't part of any special teams work, a late indication he wouldn't be suiting up.
It's a tough blow for the Bruins to have Marchand unavailable again. He leads the team in playoff scoring with three goals and 10 points. Now Boston will have to keep its season alive without him.
The Bruins were poised to even the series in Game 4, holding a two-goal lead after the first period. But the Panthers tied the score on a goal from Bennett during a third-period power play and then got the game winner later in that frame from captain Aleksander Barkov.
Boston has never come back from a 3-1 series deficit (0-for-25).