MORNING ROUNDUP

The NHL has suspended Boston forward Brad Marchand five games without pay Wednesday for elbowing New Jersey's Marcus Johansson in the head during the Bruins' win over the Devils the previous night.

The hit occurred with 1:59 left in the third period of Boston's 3-2 win and knocked Johansson out of the game. There was no penalty called on the play.

In announcing the suspension , the league's department of player safety ruled Marchand's hit was not defensive or accidental.

The Bruins' star has previously been suspended fined times and fined three times in his nineyear career. He will forfeit $373,475.60 in salary.

Serena Williams to return to tourney play

Serena Williams is returning to tournament play for the first time since the birth of her first child.

Williams was among the entries released Wednesday for the BNP Paribas Open, which runs March 5-18 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

It will be the two-time champion's first tournament after 14 months off. Her daughter was born in September.

Williams reached the semifinals in 2015 and the finals in 2016 after returning to the event that she had boycotted for years.

Top-ranked Simona Halep, defending champion Elena Vesnina, and former winners Maria Sharapova and Caroline Wozniacki are set to play. Also entered is Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza, U.S. Open winner Sloane Stephens, Karolina Pliskova, and Americans Madison Keys and Coco Vandeweghe.

On the men's side, defending champion Roger Federer will be seeking his sixth tournament title.