SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Brad Marchand will likely be healthy enough to return to the Boston Bruins lineup in time to play in his first NHL outdoor game.
It’s the opposite for defenseman Charlie McAvoy as the Bruins prepare to play the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2019 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Notre Dame Stadium on Tuesday (1 p.m. ET; NBC, SN, TVAS).
Marchand, who missed Boston’s 3-2 overtime win against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday with an upper-body injury, was a full participant in practice Sunday, skating on his regular line with center Patrice Bergeron and right wing David Pastrnak.
“I won’t tell you he’s definitely in, but I would say he is most likely to play,” Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said. “He had a good day today in practice. One more tomorrow and he’ll be good to go. I don’t want to get ahead off myself, but that’s how it’s trending.”
McAvoy, who has missed the past two games with a lower-body injury, did not practice and it’s not clear if he will be able to skate Monday either.
“He’s become questionable now for the game,” Cassidy said. “We’ll see. I won’t rule him out for tomorrow yet in practice, but clearly if he doesn’t practice tomorrow then it doesn’t look good.”
Marchand, who also didn’t practice Friday, said he didn’t feel great in practice Sunday, but thought that would happen after a few days off the ice and is hopeful that he feels better Monday because playing in the Winter Classic means a lot to him.
Video: Bruins players practice at Compton Family Ice Arena
Marchand was suspended the last time the Bruins participated in an outdoor game, against the Montreal Canadiens in the 2016 Winter Classic at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. When Boston hosted the 2010 Winter Classic against the Philadelphia Flyers at Fenway Park, he was with Providence in the American Hockey League.
He joked that he faked his injury so he couldn’t do anything in Buffalo that would put him at risk of being suspended for the Winter Classic this time around.
“It’s an event,” Marchand said. “At the end of the day, it’s just another game in the regular season, but I think it’s the event, the experience of the whole thing, what your family gets to do and be a part of. It’s the whole experience that you miss out on. At the end of the day, it is just two points, but it’s much more than that for the families and friends.”
In addition, Cassidy said he will reveal Boston’s starting goalie after practice Monday.
Tuukka Rask, who made 26 saves in the win against the Sabres, was in net for Boston’s 5-1 loss to Montreal in the 2016 Winter Classic and was the backup to Tim Thomas for Boston’s 2-1 overtime win in the 2010 Winter Classic against Philadelphia.
Jaroslav Halak, who started four of the previous five games before Buffalo on Saturday, has never appeared in an NHL outdoor game.
“We discussed it today and we’ll firm it up, but it’s a tough call because both guys deserve to play, and we can only put one in,” Cassidy said.
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