Although he didn't get to play in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, Bruins forward Chris Wagner was available after making a remarkably quick comeback from the injury he sustained in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference final on May 14.
Wagner broke his right forearm blocking Carolina defenseman Justin Faulk's shot late in the third period of the crucial game that helped the Bruins go on to sweep the Hurricanes, a source told WEEI.com.
The play that injured Wagner. He takes a slap shot from Faulk off the wrist/arm. pic.twitter.com/275r8yLn4h
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) May 15, 2019Two days later he had a plate and screws inserted into his arm.
Doctors cleared Wagner to play this past Monday, less than four weeks after the injury, the day after Boston extended the Cup Final to seven games with a 5-1 road win in Game 6.
But coach Bruce Cassidy decided to go with the same 12 forwards that won Game 6 in Game 7 and Wagner had to watch the Bruins lose 4-1 to the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday. Wagner was unable to do any cardio while he was out, so perhaps he would've been rusty.
Wagner's courage to block a shot in a 2-1 game epitomized the toughness of this year's Bruins, who came within one victory of their ultimate goal. Despite the loss in the Final, he'll go down with Gregory Campbell, a blocked-shot hero from 2013, as one of the indelible players in Bruins postseason folklore.
The Walpole native didn't just bring bang for his buck in Boston's bottom six, he scored 12 goals in 76 games in the regular season and scored twice in 12 games in the postseason.
He's signed through next season for a $1.25 million cap hit.
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