We finally have the answer as to what set Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand off against Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry.
In his appeal of his six-game suspension for the incident, which was upheld by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on Friday, Marchand testified that Jarry had said "How about that f---ing save?" in the waning moments of a game the Bruins would go on to lose, 4-2, on Feb. 8 at TD Garden.
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Marchand blew his top at the apparent remark, jabbing Jarry in the facemask with his stick and drawing a match penalty.
According to Bettman, Marchand acknowledged that he overreacted during his appeal, noting that Jarry said "nothing really out of line or derogatory in any kind of way."
"My emotions got the best of me and I made a poor decision," Marchand told Bettman.
In his ruling, Bettman said that Marchand was a "repeat offender," having been suspended eight times in his career and fined four more. This was Marchand's second suspension of the 2021-22 season.
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Read Bettman's full ruling here.
With four games already served, Marchand will miss each of Boston's next two games: at Ottawa on Saturday, home vs. Colorado Monday before being eligible to return for the team's first-ever trip to Seattle on Thursday. The B's are 1-2-1 without Marchand on his most recent suspension.