Madison Bowey levels Brad Marchand with a big open ice body check.

In theory the Detroit Red Wings do not have a whole lot to play for, but they certainly do not appear like a team that has any intention of letting their opponents off easy.

The Red Wings were facing off against the Boston Bruins on Sunday night and although the Bruins are the only playoff team in this match up, it was clear that the Red Wings game to play. Not only did the Red Wings get out to an early 1 - 0 lead in the game's opening period but they were also bringing a level of physicality to the game that the Bruins will need to look out for considering they want to enter the playoffs with their roster as healthy as possible. 

The biggest play of that nature would come roughly midway through the first period when Detroit Red Wings defenseman Madison Bowey caught Boston Bruins forward Brad Marchand in open ice. The Boston Bruins notorious agitator had gained possession of the puck all the way back in the Bruins defensive zone and was doing a pretty good job pressing his way up the ice and through the neutral zone, but it was as he tried to enter the Red Wings zone that he ran into trouble.

Bowey saw him coming the whole way and lined him up for a punishing body check that immediately stopped Marchand in his tracks, leveling him and sending him crashing to the ice in the process. It was a high impact hit that got plenty of attention from the crowd but the officials on the ice deemed it a clean body check and allowed play to continue. In fact the only player on the Bruins who would offer up any resistance after the hit was Bruins forward, and Marchand's line mate, Patrice Bergeron but nothing would come of it. 

To his credit Marchand continued to demonstrate that, although he is a pest that likes to get under the skin of his opponents, he is a rather tough customer for a guy of his smaller stature. He bounced back up rather quickly from the big hit from Bowey and would not miss a beat after shaking off the cobwebs. 

[pub]