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Boston Bruins Notes: Bergeron, Krejčí

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Jimmy Murphy of Boston Hockey Now is reporting that it appears as though center Patrice Bergeron will be dressing in game five for the Boston Bruins. Bergeron has been sidelined for all four of Boston’s first round games against the Florida Panthers after sustaining an injury in the regular season finale against the Montreal Canadiens.

Yesterday both head coach Jim Montgomery and general manager Don Sweeney had stated that Bergeron would likely return to practice Tuesday morning. Bergeron did in fact skate with the team today and led the stretching. After practice he said that he didn’t foresee any issues keeping him from playing in his first game of the playoffs.

Boston will have an opportunity on Wednesday to eliminate the Florida Panthers after taking both games three and four in Florida. The Bruins will return home with an opportunity to punch their ticket to a second-round matchup with either the Toronto Maple Leafs or the Tampa Bay Lightning.

In other Boston Bruins notes:

  • While it appears that Bergeron will be returning, Jimmy Murphy tweeted that head coach Jim Montgomery told the media that David Krejčí will be unavailable for game five. Krejčí dressed for the first two games of the series in Boston, but then was a late scratch for game three and hasn’t dressed since. He struggled mightily in game two of the series going -3 and getting beat up in the faceoff circle. Not much is known about Krejčí’s injury and Boston has been tight lipped about it other than to offer updates on his status. NHL.com’s Eric Russo writes that Don Sweeney has said that Krejčí is slated to undergo further testing and an update could come after the team hears from the doctors.

Bruins Notes: Bergeron, Krejčí, Steen

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Conor Ryan of Boston.com tweeted out today that Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney told the media that Patrice Bergeron will skate with the Bruins tomorrow. Bergeron hasn’t dressed for Boston in these playoffs after suffering an injury in the team’s season finale against the Montreal Canadiens. Despite his absence, the team has jumped out to a 3-1 series lead over the Florida Panthers. Bergeron has taken more of an advisor role in the first four games of the series but would certainly welcome the opportunity to return to his main role of centering Boston’s first line.

In a separate interview with head coach Jim Montgomery, the first year Bruins head coach hinted that if Bergeron is cleared to play, he would dress in game 5. The Sports Hub writer Ty Anderson tweeted that the if Bergeron was ready to go, he would play and the Bruins wouldn’t prioritize rest, even with a two-game series lead.

Bergeron would bring a wealth of big game experience back into the Bruins lineup should he be cleared to play in game five. Not only that, but Boston would be getting back one of the best two-way centers in the game at a time when the team is dealing with multiple injuries to other key players.

In other Boston Bruins notes:

  • Conor Ryan also tweeted that Don Sweeney doesn’t think David Krejčí will be able to skate with the Bruins tomorrow. Sweeney added that the center was undergoing further testing, which doesn’t point to an imminent return for the 36-year-old. Krejčí is dealing with an upper body injury, although not much more is known about the ailment. He played in the first two games in this series, notching a single assist, but Krejčí struggled badly in game two of the series going -3 in 19:26 of ice time and winning just 42% of the faceoffs he took.
  • The Boston Bruins also announced that they’ve assigned Oskar Steen to Providence of the AHL. The 25-year-old Swede skated in just three games for the Bruins this season, notching a single goal. He hasn’t dressed in any of the Bruins four postseason games against the Florida Panthers. Steen looked like a possible candidate to secure a role in Boston’s bottom six this season, but with the depth in the Bruins forward rank, the numbers game appears to have pushed Steen back into the minors. Steen has been a solid but unspectacular option for Providence this season, putting up 14 goals and 31 points in 64 games.

Matthew Tkachuk Avoids Suspension, Fined For Cross-Checking

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Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk has been fined the maximum allowable amount of $5,000 under the Collective Bargaining Agreement for a cross-checking incident involving Boston Bruins forward Garnet Hathaway, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced today.

The incident occurred at the end of the first period during yesterday’s Game 4 when Tkachuk was assessed a minor penalty for cross-checking Hathaway. Given the strength of the check and its placement in a sensitive area on the side of Hathaway’s torso, some felt the play warranted a suspension. Hathaway returned to the game but stayed on the ice in pain after the incident.

It wasn’t the only penalty Tkachuk racked up in what was a physical game. He added another minor penalty for slashing midway through the third period before he was given a 10-minute misconduct for his actions in a scrum with just over three minutes remaining in the game.

It’s a lucky break for the Panthers, who need everything on their side in Game 5 to stave off another early playoff exit. They’ll need Tkachuk’s services to have any hope of doing so, as his physicality and two-way dominance almost single-handedly dragged Florida to a playoff spot this season.

He leads Florida in scoring during the series, registering two goals and three assists in four games.

David Krejci Expected To Miss At Least Two Games

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Center depth for the Boston Bruins will continue to be tested in their opening-round matchup against the Florida Panthers, as Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe reports that Bruins’ center David Krejci will miss Game Four, and will not be expected back for Game Five either. This will be the team’s second straight game without either Patrice Bergeron or Krejci in the lineup.

In the point-scoring category, Krejci and Bergeron were two of Boston’s top centers this season. Scoring a collective 114 points in 148 games, these two veteran leaders sparked the Bruins’ historic run to the President’s Trophy this season. Their defensive attributes should be included as well, as they collectively put together a Defensive Point Share of 4.8.

When discussing the absence of both Bergeron and Krejci, anyone would be remiss if Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle were not brought up in the conversation. So far in this series, Zacha has two assists in the first three games, and Coyle has scored one goal. Both centermen have averaged over 16 minutes a night, showing the rest of the league how deep the Bruins really are.

With a 2-1 lead in the series before the start of Game Four, the Bruins will look to closeout the Panthers over the next couple of games. This would be the best scenario for Boston, moving on to the second round early, and allowing their two veterans to recover fully before their next series.

 

David Krejci Listed As Questionable For Sunday

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Speaking with reporters including Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald after Friday’s victory, Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery indicated that center David Krejci is 50/50 to play in Sunday’s fourth contest against the Panthers.  Krejci is dealing with an upper-body injury, meaning that Boston played last night without their top two middlemen with Patrice Bergeron not expected to make his series debut until Wednesday.  Krejci was an important secondary scorer for Boston this season with 16 goals and 40 assists, a solid return to the NHL after spending last season in Czechia and his return would certainly help a thinned-out center group.  However, he did not take part in today’s morning skate with a final answer on his availability not expected until tomorrow; he’s officially listed as questionable.

David Krejci Out For Game Three

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Already without captain Patrice Bergeron in their lineup, the Boston Bruins have announced that another veteran center, this time David Krejci, will miss game three with an upper-body injury. At the end of the regular season, Krejci was shut down for the final two games, that time being a lower-body injury.

Delivering on a “Last Dance” style season, the Bruins handily took the NHL’s President’s Trophy, breaking the all-time win record by a team for a single season. Heading into this year’s playoffs, the Bruins were the heavy favorite to eventually win Lord Stanley’s Cup. Unfortunately for the team, they will be without not only two of their best players but two of their best leaders as they play a pivotal game three against the Florida Panthers.

Luckily for the Bruins, after acquiring such players as Dmitry Orlov, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Garnet Hathaway at the trade deadline, they should still reasonably be expected to win this series, but their pathway is becoming a lot more difficult. The Panthers delivered a decisive blow to take game two and will have the benefit of being on home ice for the next two games.

 

Patrice Bergeron Unlikely To Return Until Game Five

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Boston Globe reporter Matt Porter tweeted out this morning that Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron likely won’t return until game five in their best of seven series against the Florida Panthers. This tweet comes from a quote from Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery. Bergeron also did not travel with the team to Florida and has not dressed in any of the first two games of the series.

Bergeron was hurt in the Bruins regular season finale against the Montreal Canadiens. While much has been made of the decision to dress so many regulars in a meaningless game, it was apparently something that Bergeron wanted to do in what could have been his final NHL game in his home province. Bergeron had been resting the week prior to the game in Montreal and was also hoping to ramp up for the playoffs.

The Bruins desperately need Bergeron to return, the 37-year-old dressed in 78 games this season and had 27 goals and 58 points. He was a force for the President’s Trophy winners throughout the season and his absence in the series with the Panthers has made Boston look beatable for the first time all season. Boston split the first two games of their series with Florida and now head into game three tied 1-1.

Porter also tweeted out the Bruins line rushes from practice this morning and it appears as though Charlie Coyle will be taking Bergeron’s spot on the first line. While Coyle is a capable NHLer, he is a sizable downgrade from one of the best two-way centers in the league. Coyle had 45 points in 82 games this season but spent most of the year playing lower in the lineup. In game three Coyle could be tasked with taking on Florida’s top unit.

Boston Bruins Will Have Multi-Million Dollar Cap Penalty Next Season

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The Boston Bruins’ plan of bringing back Patrice Bergeron and David Krejčí for one last ride panned out unquestionably. Unfortunately for the Bruins, they’ll need to pay a steep price for their decisions next season.

PuckPedia’s Hart Levine confirms in an article for Northstar Bets that Boston will face a $4.5MM cap penalty next season, created by performance bonus overages stemming from Bergeron and Krejčí’s unique contracts.

With Bergeron and Krejčí eligible to sign particular types of contracts reserved for players 35 or older, they’re also eligible to receive performance bonuses in their contract that are not incorporated into the cap hit of the deal. It operates in the same way as an entry-level contract, where rookies can earn millions of dollars per season based on their performance despite a six-figure cap hit.

That’s exactly what they did, with Bergeron’s contract entitling him to up to $2.5MM in bonuses, while Krejčí was eligible for up to $2MM. Thanks to Boston’s record-breaking season and subsequent playoff appearance, both players hit every benchmark required to receive all of their bonuses.

Unfortunately, since Boston used long-term injured reserve to stay cap compliant, they weren’t able to accommodate Bergeron and Krejčí’s performance bonuses under the cap at the end of the regular season. It means Boston, along with 14 other NHL teams (albeit with much smaller amounts), will have a cap charge next season equivalent to the amount of performance bonuses earned that the team couldn’t fit under the cap at the end of the season.

To put it plainly: if Bergeron and Krejčí don’t return to the team next season, Boston will have a greater cap charge next season than their combined cap hits this year ($3.5MM).

The cap is, again, expected to only creep up by a $1MM increment to an $83.5MM ceiling next year. Per CapFriendly, a $4.5MM bonus overage charge leaves Boston with just $5.288MM in space heading into the offseason, with most of their forward core needing new contracts.

Boston Bruins Recall Oskar Steen

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Before their important game three against the Florida Panthers Friday evening, the Boston Bruins have announced they have recalled forward Oskar Steen on an emergency basis. So far through two games, the Bruins have been without forward Patrice Bergeron (upper-body), but have still managed to produce a deep rotation of 12 forwards.

Although managing to play about a quarter of the season in Boston last season, Steen was back to primarily back to playing for their AHL affiliate Providence Bruins for the majority of this year. In 64 games for Providence, Steen scored 14 goals and 17 assists, helping propel the baby Bruins to the Atlantic Division semifinals in the Calder Cup playoffs.

Without Bergeron in the lineup, the Bruins have found themselves in a tied series as they head into game three. They did manage to get out to an early lead in the series thanks to a 3-1 win against the Panthers on April 17th, but Florida bounced back in game two, beating the Bruins by a score of 6-3. In game one, Boston heavily relied on their Vezina candidate goaltender Linus Ullmark, who made 31 saves in 32 attempts.

As the Bruins look to take back the series, there is a chance that Steen will find himself in the lineup. Steen is another physical presence that Boston can throw into their active roster, and with strong possession numbers in his limited professional performance, Steen could help the Bruins control the puck more against a surging Panthers team.

Patrice Bergeron Likely Out For Game 2

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  • While Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron skated on his own before practice this morning, he didn’t join the team’s full session, per The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa, and is expected to remain out of the lineup for Game 2 against the Florida Panthers tonight. Florida made more noise against the Bruins than most expected in the opening match, but Boston still secured a 3-1 win without their captain’s services. Bergeron is still dealing with a minor injury and illness that have sidelined him for approximately the past week.

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