“As soon as I got on the ice that shift when I got that second penalty, the ref was yelling at me about that play,’’ said Marchand. “He was kind of looking for me a little bit.’’

One of the referees was Frederick L’Ecuyer, who was familiar with Marchand’s on-the-edge approach from the Quebec Major Junior League. In the third period, with the Bruins holding a 4-1 lead, Marchand was whistled for two penalties. At 2:42, he was sent off for high-sticking Paul Gaustad. And at 10:38, Marchand was called for holding Henrik Tallinder in the offensive zone - a penalty Marchand owned up to, but one his coach believed was undeserved.

“I still felt that one of the penalties called on him was probably from reputation,’’ said Claude Julien. “The referee who called it was a referee who had him in junior hockey. I really feel that sometimes, there’s a reputation that follows you. One of those penalties, I really felt, was based on that.

“But again, as I told him, you can get under players’ skin and be smart about it. But the one thing you don’t want to do is get under referees’ skins.’’

Marchand is an agitator who, with his mouth, body, and stick, excels at irritating opponents. In 2006-07, while playing for Val-d’Or of the QMJHL, Marchand was whistled for 108 penalty minutes. Last season, as a first-year pro in Providence, Marchand was called for 67 penalty minutes.

As an NHLer, Marchand is trying to find the balance between being an effective agitator and a target for referees like L’Ecuyer. After Saturday’s third-period failings (two minor penalties, then a 10-minute misconduct after jostling with Tim Kennedy), Marchand acknowledged he has to tone down the edgy play if he wants to gain his coach’s confidence. Last night, Marchand was a healthy scratch for the first time since his recall Oct. 18.

“You’ve got to find that line and you can’t go over it,’’ Marchand said. “Last game, I went over it. There’s a fine line. If I keep doing that, I’m not going to play. I’ll be a liability.

“You can’t do that, especially in the third period in a game like that. It can change momentum around.’’

Krejci was back with Blake Wheeler and Michael Ryder, his linemates from last season. They were broken up after the 4-3 loss to Colorado Oct. 12. But they were reunited against Detroit Nov. 3, the last game Krejci played. Krejci had two shots in 17:09 of ice time last night.

“I thought he was getting better,’’ Julien said of Krejci prior to contracting H1N1. “Was he where we think he could be? No, I don’t think so. I think he’s probably going to be the first one to tell you that, because he still hasn’t found his stride yet.’’

But considering the depth of Washington’s up-front talent, Bourque couldn’t find a regular spot with the Capitals. So when he was assigned to Hershey Sept. 30, the Penguins claimed Bourque, figuring they could use his skill and speed to round out their bottom-six forward corps.

“They definitely have a lot of depth there. Up front, especially,’’ Bourque said of the Capitals. “I knew going into training camp that there were a few injuries. If I had a good training camp, I could probably get a good chance to make the opening night roster. I thought I did, but I ended up in Pittsburgh, and it’s been good so far.’’

Bourque, the son of Bruins legend Ray Bourque (who was on hand), has one assist in 10 games. Last night, he had one shot in 9:03 of ice time; he’d entered averaging 9:34 a match.

“He has speed and skill he can bring to a lineup,’’ said Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma. “The tough part is being able to have that in the offensive zone. He needs to be responsible defensively, but he needs to be able to show that speed and skill.

“If he tries to play a grinding game or a third- or fourth-line type of game, that’s not where he can excel. The challenge, in a short opportunity with the top line or the second power play, is he needs to be confident and have that skill and speed.

“That’s probably one of the toughest things to do as a guy trying to break into the league.’’

Fluto Shinzawa can be reached at fshinzawa@globe.com.