Patrice Bergeron missed Friday's Bruins practice in St. Louis, but coach Bruce Cassidy eased any concerns in his press conference afterwards when he told reporters that it was just a maintenance day and that Bergeron will be ready to go for Game 3 Saturday night.
The Bruins will need more from Bergeron and linemates Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak in Game 3 and beyond, as the trio have been outscored 3-0 at 5-on-5, with all three goals against coming from the Blues' top line of Jaden Schwartz, Brayden Schenn and Vladimir Tarasenko.
Cassidy said Thursday that he expects his top line to bounce back and turn in their best game of the series Saturday.
Karson Kuhlman filled in between Marchand and Pastrnak at Friday's practice according to reporters on the scene, but the rest of the Bruins' forward lines remained the same.
On defense, John Moore skated with Connor Clifton on the third pairing and Cassidy said he will probably be the choice to replace Matt Grzelcyk for Game 3. Grzelcyk did not travel with the team to St. Louis and is not expected to play in Game 3 after getting hit in the head by Oskar Sundqvist in Game 2.
Sundqvist was suspended for Game 3, and New England native Zach Sanford is expected to replace him in the Blues' lineup.
One other interesting note from Friday is that top defense prospect Urho Vaakanainen practiced with the B's. While it doesn't look like there's any intention to play him in Game 3, it wouldn't be surprising if he finds his way into the lineup if there's another injury on the left side of the blue line or if Moore struggles.
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