Brad Marchand takes leave of absence from the Bruins

Boston Bruins captain played with a heavy heart this week following the passing of his maternal grandmother, Frances O’Leary on Friday night. 

He responded well, scoring a natural hat trick in the third period of Sunday's home game at TD Garden against the Columbus Blue Jackets. And now, he's taken a brief leave of absence from the team in order to attend the funeral service. However, the team expects him to be able to play tomorrow night against the Buffalo Sabres.

According to Boston Herald reporter Steve Conroy, Marchand should be able to suit up tomorrow: 

"Brad Marchand returned home for services for his grandmother Frances O'Leary, who passed away last Friday. He's expected back for Thursday's game against Buffalo"

Meanwhile, Marchand's teammates and head coach are nothing short of complimentary for how he's handled himself in the face of difficulty.

“He threw us on his back and said, ‘I’ll take us across the finish line here,’ ” said alternate captain Charlie McAvoy. “He has that capability. He plays with so much passion and energy, playing on a back-to-back and with a little bit of fatigue … I’m so happy for him. He’s Cap. That’s what he does.”

“I think his leadership stood out more while we were going through our adversity and losing and how well he led us in his practice habits and helping the team dig in on the checking part of our game,” said head coach Jim Montgomery. 

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