Boston Bruins Head Coach Jim Montgomery addressed the media Monday during an optional practice at Warrior Arena after Boston’s 3-1 victory in Game 1 of their first-round matchup with the Florida Panthers. The first topic was the status of captain Patrice Bergeron who missed Monday’s game due to an illness and upper-body injury. The Quebec native injured himself in the regular season finale against the Montreal Canadiens Thursday. The team captain left the 5-4 win with an apparent upper-body injury and did not return. The team also reported that Bergeron had suffered a stomach bug that was making its way through the team.
Montgomery deemed Bergeron “questionable” but said the center was “feeling better today.” The loss of Bergeron for any amount of time would be a blow to a team that set the NHL record for wins and points this season. Bergeron scored 27 goals with 31 assists and won 61.1 percent of his faceoffs this year. The Bruins have more depth at the center position than in years past, with David Krejci, the emergence of Pavel Zacha, and solid defensive centers Charlie Coyle and Tomas Nosek. Zacha took on Bergeron’s role as a first-line center in Game 1, and Tomas Nosek won 71.4 percent of his faceoffs in the win.
Bergeron does have a history of playing through injuries, including Game 6 of the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals. The 37-year-old center battled through broken ribs and a punctured lung as the Bruins lost a deciding sixth game against Chicago. The fact that Bergeron missed Game 1 but was in the locker room before the game might leave some to believe that his injury might be the culprit preventing the five-time Selke Award winner from playing.
Bergeron did not skate with the team Tuesday. However, there is still a chance that Bergeron will compete in the second game of the playoffs versus Florida at 7:30 pm on Wednesday at TD Garden.
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