Saturday, June 3 2023

Latest update on Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron’s status for Game 1 originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

When Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron left Thursday night’s regular season finale against the Montreal Canadiens early with an upper body injury, head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters after the game that the veteran center was “fine”.

In fact, the team’s tweet during the game announcing Bergeron would not return to the action at the Bell Centre used the word “precautionary.”

Bergeron didn’t practice Saturday and he didn’t skate with his teammates on Sunday, either.

Bruins vs. Panthers first-round playoff preview, odds and prediction

What’s going on? Will he play Monday night when the Bruins open the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden with Game 1 of their first-round series against the Florida Panthers?

“That’s to be decided tomorrow,” Bruins general manager Don Sweeney told reporters Sunday at Warrior Ice Arena. “If he feels well enough, he’ll play. … Patrice doesn’t need extra days of practice. If he feels better, he’ll play.”

When asked if Bergeron is dealing with an illness or an injury, Sweeney responded, “a little bit of both.”

We all know how important Bergeron is to the Bruins’ success in all three zones. He has scored 20-plus goals in 10 consecutive seasons, he’s the best defensive forward in the sport and he’s one of the best leaders on and off the ice.

Bergeron is also one of the toughest players in the league and has shown many times in previous playoff runs that he’s capable of playing through pain.

Five important questions for Bruins entering playoff series vs. Panthers

If Bergeron is unable to play in Game 1, the most likely scenario from a lineup perspective is Pavel Zacha moving up to center the first line with Brad Marchand and Jake DeBrusk. Zacha is a natural center but has played mostly left wing during his first season in Boston.

Sweeney said he has “a lot” of confidence in Zacha being able to play well at center if needed.

Puck drop for Game 1 is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.

Source: Yahoo Sports

Previous

NOCO 400 live updates: Top moments from Martinsville Speedway

Next

Mets calling up top prospect Brett Baty from Triple-A Syracuse

Check Also

Pro Sports Media

Trending Now

Denver, Miami expect $25 million in revenue from 2023 NBA Finals

Denver and Miami are projecting a maximum of $25 million in earned revenue from the 2023 NBA Finals, which includes expenses on hotels and rental cars, per the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce. Of course, the report excludes ticket sales and fan merchandise. The city’s economic competitiveness team is predicting that the NBA Finals will […]

Read More

Hendricken ace Alex Clemmey is Gatorade RI Baseball Player of the Year

You can add 2022-23 Gatorade Rhode Island Baseball Player of the Year to Alex Clemmey’s already impressive resume. The 6-foot-6 senior lefthander has compiled a 6-1 record with a 0.59 ERA to lead the Hendricken Hawks to a 19-1 record and a berth in Rhode Island’s Division I state baseball tournament. A Vanderbilt commit, Clemmey […]

Read More

Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell: ‘I should have been All-NBA First Team’

On Thursday, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell told ESPN’s Rosalyn Gold-Onwude in an interview that he should have been selected to the All-NBA First Team. Instead, the four-time All-Star was named to the second team last month. It was his first All-NBA honor of his six-year career. On the second team, Mitchell joined Warriors’ Stephen […]

Read More