BOSTON -- The sight of forward Brad Marchand leaving the ice early Thursday during the Boston Bruins' morning skate was the last thing the organization needed to see.
Marchand pulled up lame during a 2-on-1 drill with center Patrice Bergeron and went to the dressing room with the trainer while the rest of the team continued to prepare for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New York Rangers at TD Garden (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, TSN, RDS).
After the skate, coach Claude Julien wasn't worried about Marchand’s availability.
"He'll be fine. He'll be there tonight," Julien said.
Marchand showered and dressed like normal but declined to speak with the media before departing the dressing room in his street clothes.
During the regular season, Marchand led the Bruins with 18 goals and 36 points. However, he didn't score a goal in the Bruins' seven-game first-round win against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
If Marchand were to come out of the lineup, the Bruins most likely would insert Kaspars Daugavins on their fourth line and promote Daniel Paille to the line with Bergeron and Jaromir Jagr. According to Julien, though, such maneuverings won't be necessary.
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