Sunday Skate previews Bruins vs. Panthers
The Bruins held their second practice of the weekend on Sunday ahead of Monday night’s Game 1 against the Panthers, and captain Patrice Bergeron was once again not on the ice.
Naturally, there is bound to be at least some level of concern after seeing Bergeron miss both practices between the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs, especially since Bergeron left Thursday’s regular-season finale in the first period and did not return.
The Bruins continue to not divulge a ton of information on Bergeron’s status, but we did learn a little bit more after Sunday’s practice. Linemate Brad Marchand and general manager Don Sweeney both revealed that Bergeron has been dealing with an illness, and Sweeney added that his absence was due to “a little bit of both” the illness and a lingering upper-body injury (which is what officially kept him from returning to Thursday’s game). Sweeney also revealed that goalie Jeremy Swayman missed Sunday’s practice due to an illness as well.
“Taking an extra day again today, obviously. That’s to be decided tomorrow,” Sweeney said of Bergeron’s availability for Game 1. “If he feels well enough, he’ll play. If not… we’ve done a really good job down the stretch of trying to -- [Tomas] Nosek missed a game because he was under the weather. Sway was off today, under the weather. So we’re just trying to monitor that and make sure we balance it out. Patrice doesn’t need extra days of practice, so if he feels better, he’ll play.”
Marchand downplayed Bergeron’s absence.
“He’s obviously a huge piece of the group. He always leads on and off the ice, regardless of whether he’s on the ice practicing or not. It’s not a big deal,” Marchand said. “He’s taken rest days throughout the year just to make sure he’s feeling good. If someone’s not feeling well this time of year, it’s just great to have the opportunity to rest up and prepare.”
Does he expect his longtime linemate to suit up Monday night?
“Yeah. I think he’s just sick or something. He’s fine,” Marchand said.
Marchand practiced in full on Sunday after leaving Saturday’s practice early. Asked about his own health, Marchand said he’s fine as well.
“I feel good, besides being old,” Marchand said. “I get sore a little more frequently, but I feel good.”
While Swayman joined Bergeron on the DNP list, Linus Ullmark did practice for a second straight day after leaving Tuesday’s game with a lower-body injury and then not traveling to Montreal on Thursday. After Sunday’s practice, he said there was nothing to worry about.
“I’m doing great. Thanks for asking,” Ullmark said.
Was there any concern when he left Tuesday’s game?
“Just precautionary. Nothing else than that,” he said.
Ullmark’s biggest concern for Monday night has nothing to do with his body or playoff nerves or anything like that.
“I think the most concerning part is about how to get to the Garden tomorrow with the Boston Marathon going on,” Ullmark said.
Jokes and dismissive comments aside, all eyes will obviously be on Bergeron come Monday. The Bruins will have a morning skate at Warrior Ice Arena at 11 a.m. before a 7:30 p.m. puck drop at TD Garden.
If Bergeron ends up not being able to play, it appears the plan would be for Pavel Zacha to center Marchand and Jake DeBrusk based on practice lines the last two days. While it would obviously be far from ideal to have to play without Bergeron, it is a reflection of this team’s depth that they can still put together a formidable lineup even if he is out.
Asked how confident he was in that depth, Bruins president Cam Neely answered with one word: “Extremely.”
“We’ve shown it all year,” Neely added. “We’ve had a lot of players in and out of the lineup this year, and our record speaks for itself. Our depth is as good as it’s ever been.”