Sam Bennett "a nasty nasty man" for punching Brad Marchand, opines Colby Armstrong after newly discovered camera angle

By Abhishek Dilta

Modified May 15, 2024 04:46 GMT

Former NHLer Colby Armstrong has labeled Sam Bennett a "nasty man" for punching Brad Marchand in Game 3 of the second-round series between the Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers at TD Garden on Friday.

It all started when Bennett collided with Marchand, knocking him out of the game. The collision became even more significant when a new camera angle was shown during TNT's pregame coverage before Game 4.

The new angle showed that Bennett rocked Marchand with a hard right hand as he passed by. After the hit, the Bruins captain went to the bench and didn't return.

Armstrong had a strong reaction to Sam Bennett's actions. He opined that there was intent behind Bennett's shot on Marchand.

"I know that Bennett plays on the edge; he's a junkyard dog. He's nasty. He lives right there, and he'll get you if he can, and that was hidden. Paul Maurice says in his comments it just looked like a collision to me; he hides it so well...but I think there's intent there, "Armstrong said.

He continued:

"For him to throw that little rabid shot out there on that collision to make that happen. And I was on the case the other night I discovered it I saw it. I rate when I notice it. It's like you can't see it.

"We've seen Sam Bennett do this before; he got kind of Matthew Knies last year in the playoffs as well. And I think that's what Jim Montgomery is talking about. He's a nasty, nasty man, and he means business. And especially come playoffs," Armstrong added.

Bennett didn't face any punishment for his actions. Meanwhile, Brad Marchand is week-to-week with an upper-body injury and missed Game 4 on Sunday.

Jim Montgomery on Sam Bennett's hit on Brad Marchand

Montgomery in his post-game media interaction said he felt Bennett showed intent when he collided with Marchand. The Boston Bruins coach didn't label it as dirty, but rather a play that went beyond the boundaries of fair play.

“I don’t think I classified it as dirty. I just thought it was outside the lines,” Montgomery said (via NESN). “I think it was someone that plays the game on the edge and he knew what he was doing. I don’t know if you’ve seen the picture from behind, but there’s clearly — he loaded up.”

Marchand leads the Bruins in scoring. The 35-year-old veteran has accumulated 10 points over as many games through three goals and seven assists in the playoffs.

Meanwhile, the Boston Bruins are on the brink of elimination following their Game 4 loss to the Florida Panthers on Sunday night.