The Bruins have two games remaining this season, against the Ottawa Senators and Washington Capitals. The team has already clinched a playoff berth, meaning Marchand will be eligible to return for Game 1. Boston's playoff opponent is not yet determined.
It's a costly infraction for Marchand, as the two lost games will see him forfeit $109,756.10, according to the NHL.
The suspension marks the second punishment for Marchand this season. He was fined $10,000 in mid-January following a dangerous trip involving Detroit Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall.
The Montreal Canadiens will get a chance to exact some revenge when they take on the New York Rangers in the first round of the NHL playoffs.
The two will face off in the postseason for the first time since the Rangers ousted the Canadiens in six games in the 2014 Eastern Conference Final.
There's a lot on the line and - like any playoff series - there are sure to be a number of players who will help tip the scales in either direction.
Here are three players who could make a difference in this first-round matchup:
Shea Weber
You may have thought it was all behind us, but no, the P.K. Subban-Weber trade deserves to be brought up once again.
The deal that had many Montreal faithful up in arms looks to have paid off - at least for the time being. The Canadiens clinched a postseason berth after missing out last season, while Weber has also bested Subban with seven more goals and four more points this season, in 14 fewer games.
The reason the trade is worth bringing up again is because, during his time in Montreal, Subban played some really inspired playoff hockey.
Subban has 11 goals and 38 points in 55 career playoff games, and who could forget his incredible display against the Boston Bruins during the team's 2014 run.
Weber won't be forced to match Subban's production, but like the man he was traded for, he will be looked at to be a difference-maker for the Canadiens.
Henrik Lundqvist
Much like Subban, Lundqvist has historically been a gamer who brings his best to the postseason.
The Rangers netminder has a career .921 save percentage and a 2.28 goals-against average over 116 playoff games. Meanwhile, he's been among the most consistent goaltenders since his NHL debut in 2006.
However, recently there have been more question marks surrounding the 35-year-old. Lundqvist had his worst season statistically, with a .910 save percentage and a 2.74 goals-against average, both career lows.
Not to mention Lundqvist was also lit up in the postseason last year by the Pittsburgh Penguins who delivered the King a ghastly 4.39 goals-against average over five games.
The Rangers playoff lives could rest heavily on Lundqvist, which would depend on what version of the King shows up.
Carey Price
Price could be the difference-maker if he does Carey Price-like things.
While Price has had had a couple questionable stints this season, for the most part he's been his usual consistent self and at the moment he's playing some of his best hockey of the year.
The 29-year-old has gone 5-2-0 in his last seven games with a .944 save percentage and a 1.58 goals-against average, allowing more than two goals in a game just once.
For the Canadiens, Price's presence will be huge, especially in the revenge storyline as Canadiens fans probably recall that, in 2014, Price played just 40 minutes in the series against the Rangers before bowing out due to injury, leaving Dustin Tokarski and Peter Budaj to fill the void.
It's hard to say if he could have propelled the team to a series win, but one thing is certain: the Canadiens likely don't stand a chance without Price between the pipes this time.
The two centers will collide when the Columbus Blue Jackets and Pittsburgh Penguins meet in the opening round of the playoffs. The Metropolitan Division matchup was set in stone following Wednesday's contests.
The two sides met in the postseason three years ago, just the second time in franchise history the Blue Jackets made the dance after joining the NHL in 2000.
In that hard-fought six-game series, all but one game was decided by a single goal. The Blue Jackets captured a pair of victories in extra time, but the Penguins ultimately advanced.
Both squads have undergone extensive changes since: Just 15 of the 40 players who competed in Game 6 are still with their club. Each side scratched six players that night, and all 12 are out of the picture.
The changes didn't stop on the ice. Mike Sullivan's now behind the Pittsburgh bench, not Dan Bylsma, while John Tortorella has stepped in for Todd Richards as head coach in the Ohio capital. Interestingly enough, Sullivan was an assistant to Tortorella during his short tenure with the Vancouver Canucks.
Here's a look at the 15 players set to renew the budding rivalry this spring:
Foligno and Calvert potted the two overtime winners for the Blue Jackets in 2014. Calvert's Game 2 goal notched the first playoff win in franchise history. (Columbus made its first playoff appearance in 2009 but was swept by the Detroit Red Wings.)
Malkin was the Penguins' top-scoring forward through the series, registering three goals and four assists, while Dubinsky and the since-traded Ryan Johansen led all Blue Jackets forwards with six points.
In practical terms, it's a four-person list, as it was announced Wednesday that Letang will miss the next four-to-six months following a neck injury.
Johnson led Columbus rearguards in playoff scoring in 2014, coming away with seven points, while blue-liners Matt Niskanen and Paul Martin, both since departed, picked up eight points apiece for the Penguins. Maatta collected two points in six games.
Goaltenders
Each side returns a goaltender to the series, but things have changed for both of them since 2014.
Columbus' Sergei Bobrovsky is the NHL's top goalie this season, owning an NHL-best .933 save percentage and standing second to only Washington's Braden Holtby in wins. But Bobrovsky wasn't nearly as successful the last time the two sides met in the playoffs. He picked up two wins in six games alongside a .908 save rate and 3.08 goals-against average.
Penguins veteran Marc-Andre Fleury, meanwhile, is on bench duty after losing the top job to youngster Matt Murray. The 22-year-old led the Penguins to the Stanley Cup a year ago. In a pinch, Fleury offers solid support in goal. In six games against Columbus in 2014, Fleury posted a .908 save percentage and 2.81 GAA.
The Ottawa Senators will attempt to clinch a playoff spot without the aid of their captain on Thursday night.
Erik Karlsson will be held out of the lineup against the Boston Bruins and is considered day to day with a lower-body injury, head coach Guy Boucher announced, according to TSN 1200's Dean Brown.
Karlsson had played in the team's last two games against the Detroit Red Wings - scoring a goal in each contest - after missing last Thursday's contest against the Minnesota Wild with a foot injury.
The Senators can clinch a playoff spot by claiming at least a point against the Bruins, or if both the New York Islanders and Tampa Bay Lightning lose on Thursday.
But let's not to forget the freshmen who graced the league a year ago, some who have built on their initial success to others, who haven't been as fruitful in their second seasons:
▲ Connor McDavid
It's one thing to produce as a rookie. It's another to climb the ranks and become the league's most dominant player in only your second season, but that's the case when it comes to the Edmonton Oilers captain.
McDavid sits first in league scoring with 95 points, seven ahead of runner-up Patrick Kane. He also ranks first league-wide in points per game, coming in at 1.20, ahead of Sidney Crosby and Steven Stamkos. The 20-year-old already sits among the NHL's best.
After his first season was cut short due to a collarbone injury, limiting him to just 45 games, McDavid played his 100th career game this season, collecting 108 points by then. That total has reached 143 points in 124 contests. Credit McDavid's performance in returning the Oilers to relevancy, as the club has locked down its first playoff berth since 2006.
▼ Shayne Gostisbehere
The Philadelphia Flyers blue-liner has taken a step back in his second season, not an uncommon occurrence for sophomore skaters, particularly on the back end.
After netting 17 goals and 29 assists a year ago, the Philadelphia defenseman regressed this season, as his production dropped off with 10 fewer tallies, despite playing in 10 more games, with two games remaining on the season. His point production also fell by eight points. On five occasions, Flyers coach Dave Hakstol made Gostisbehere a healthy scratch.
Still, it's key to remember that, despite his second-year struggles, the 23-year-old Gostisbehere remains a big piece of the Flyers' blue line, as he'll continue to grow into a critical role surrounded by the likes of rookie Ivan Provorov and up-and-comers Samuel Morin and Philippe Myers.
▲ Jonathan Marchessault
After toiling with the Tampa Bay Lightning a year ago, when Marchessault put up a respectable 18 points in 45 games, he moved cross-state, landing a deal with the Florida Panthers.
It may have been the best buy of the offseason. Agreeing to a two-year contract worth $750,000 per season, the Panthers got a prime bargain in Marchessault, now a 30-goal scorer. He's tops on the team in goal production, ahead of rising offensive stars like Vincent Trocheck and Aleksander Barkov.
As for the Panthers, the team will sit on the sidelines this postseason, unable to build on last year's playoff appearance. But with a healthy lineup next season, and continued production from Marchessault, the future looks bright in Florida.
▼ Dylan Larkin
After netting 23 goals and 22 assists in 2015-16, the Detroit Red Wings forward declined in both categories this season, totaling 16 and 14, respectively.
The good news is that most of Larkin's lagging production came in the season's first half, while his scoring touch picked up following a shift from the wing to center. Larkin played up the middle prior to turning pro and the Red Wings envision him as a center long term.
The Red Wings won't make the playoffs for the first time in 25 years. But the future is now in Detroit, as the franchise turns the page and begins to lean on its young talent. Larkin, alongside Anthony Mantha and Andreas Athanasiou, are the next wave charged with returning the Red Wings to the winner's circle.
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)
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Here is what needs to happen for each club to earn a postseason place:
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs currently hold the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with 93 points, five up on both the New York Islanders and Tampa Bay Lightning.
Toronto can clinch a spot if it defeats Tampa Bay in regulation or overtime. Alternately, if Toronto loses to the Lightning in a shootout and the Islanders also lose to the Carolina Hurricanes in any fashion, the Maple Leafs will earn a playoff berth.
Ottawa Senators
The Senators sit one point above the Maple Leafs in the Atlantic Division, but find themselves in second place behind Montreal. They're tied with the Bruins in points, but have a game in hand over Boston.
In order to earn a spot, the Senators need just a point against the Bruins on Thursday. However, they can also clinch with a regulation loss, as long as both the Lightning and Islanders lose.
It's safe to say there will be a lot of scoreboard watching on Thursday night from Ontario hockey fans.
The Buffalo Sabres phenom wrapped up the home portion of his second NHL season Wednesday night, and a 2-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens did little to take the sour taste of another wasted campaign out of his mouth.
"It sucks," Eichel said of an offseason coming far too soon, according to the Times Herald's Bill Hoppe. "We didn't make any improvement from last year. It's another failed season."
Buffalo sits 33-35-12 with two games left.
Should the Sabres win out, they'll finish with 82 points, a one-point improvement over Eichel's rookie year, when Dan Bylsma made his debut behind the Sabres' bench.
Clearly, though, Eichel views anything less than a playoff spot as a disappointment. And expectations were high coming into the 2015 second overall draft pick's sophomore season.
A high-ankle sprain forced Eichel to miss the first two months of 2016-17, and while the Sabres were able to somewhat tread water without No. 15 - Buffalo was 7-9-5 on the night Eichel made his season debut, on Nov. 29 - they were never able to hit a top gear they thought they had.
Personally, it was a stellar season for Eichel, despite his injury. He's second on the Sabres in goals (24) and first in points (57) despite playing only 59 games.
With an 🍎 tonight, Jack Eichel hit a new career-high in assists (33) & points (57) in 22 fewer games than he played in 2015-16. pic.twitter.com/w78ILXnmre
The first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the Eastern Conference is taking shape, with two matchups confirmed after the Washington Capitals won their second straight Presidents' Trophy on Wednesday.
The Montreal Canadiens - your Atlantic Division champions - will face the New York Rangers when the postseason begins, with the Blueshirts locked in as the East's first wild card. Game 1 will be in Montreal.
Montreal won the season series 3-0.
The beastly Metropolitan Division's No. 2 and No. 3 seeds are the Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets, and they'll meet in the opening round for the second time in four years.
Pittsburgh won in six games in 2014.
Home ice between Pittsburgh and Columbus has yet to be determined. The Penguins have 109 points to the Blue Jackets' 106, and both teams have three games to play.
Pittsburgh will close out its season on the road in New Jersey, Toronto, and Manhattan. Columbus is home to Winnipeg, in Philadelphia, and in Toronto on Sunday.
