Brad Marchand gives extreme take about 'trying to hurt' opponents in playoffs

Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand has missed the team's last two playoff games against the Florida Panthers with an upper-body injury after taking a controversial hit to the head from center Sam Bennett in Game 3.

With the Bruins trailing 3-2 in the best-of-seven conference semifinals, Marchand is speaking out on the incident.

The 36-year-old said on Thursday that he holds no grudges against Bennett and that "trying to hurt" opponents is part of the postseason's job description.

According to a report by ESPN's Greg Wyshynski , Boston coach Jim Montgomery hopes that Marchand could be back for Friday's must-win Game 6 at home. Montgomery added that Marchand has "got boxes to check" before being cleared for the contest.

Wyshynski's report noted that the four-time All-Star winger "took regular line rushes and was on the first power-play unit" during Thursday's practice, which is an "encouraging sign."

Marchand, tied for the team lead in scoring during the playoffs with 10 points (three goals, seven assists), called Bennett an "extremely physical player," per Wyshynski's report but made it clear that he was fine with the hit. The former fourth-overall pick wasn't penalized on the play and didn't receive any supplemental discipline from the NHL Department of Player Safety.

"Every time you step on the ice, someone tries to hurt someone. That's just how it goes in the playoffs. That's part of the benefit of having a physical group. That's why you rarely see small and skilled teams go far. Because they get hurt," Marchand said.