NHL commissioner Gary Bettman upholds six-game suspension of Bruins' Brad Marchand

On Friday, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman officially upheld that ban following an appeal. 

"I encourage Mr. Marchand to reflect on this experience and to use it positively in furtherance of his efforts to refine and improve his on-ice image and game for everyone’s benefit," Bettman wrote in his ruling, according to Jon Couture of the Boston Globe. 

Marchand hasn't played since the defeat to Pittsburgh and, thus, has already missed four consecutive contests. He will now be unavailable for Saturday's matchup at the Ottawa Senators and Monday's home game versus the Colorado Avalanche. 

It likely didn't help the 33-year-old's cause that this is his eighth career NHL suspension and second ban of the 2021-22 season. He was suspended for three games without pay on Nov. 29 for slew-footing Vancouver Canucks defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. 

Marchand is eligible to return for next Thursday's contest at the Seattle Kraken. 

The 27-17-4 Bruins began Friday's NHL action fourth in the Atlantic Division standings with 58 points, six points ahead of the fifth-place Detroit Red Wings and nine points back of the third-place Toronto Maple Leafs.