Bruins Prevail Even Without Captain
Even without their leader Patrice Bergeron, the Boston Bruins edged out the Florida Panthers 3-1 in Game 1 on a sports-filled Monday that included the Boston Marathon, the yearly Red Sox matinee, and the Bruins’ first-round Stanley Cup Playoff game.
The B’s captain and starting center left the regular season’s finale in Montreal last Thursday due to an upper-body injury. He was also among several Boston Bruins players who recently fell ill with a non-covid illness. Currently, a stomach bug is spreading among the team.
But what will happen in Game 2 of the series with Bergeron?
Bergeron’s Status For Game 2
Bergeron is “questionable” for the game on Wednesday night, according to Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery, who told reporters Tuesday morning. Bergeron will not participate in today’s optional practice. Montgomery acknowledged that Bergeron was feeling better, though. Last night was the first playoff game Bergeron had missed since Game 4 of the 2018 first round against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Bruins Depth Steps Up
In Game 1, Pavel Zacha replaced Bergeron as the first-line center alongside Brad Marchand and Jake DeBrusk. Zacha put on an outstanding performance and contributed an assist to DeBrusk’s late second-period goal that gave Boston a 3-1 lead.
Goalie Linus Ullmark Said: “That’s all the trust we have for each other,” “We believe in ourselves. We believe in our depth that we have the team that we have. It doesn’t matter who is out. There is always another guy that can step in and fill the shoes of it. Now we’ve just got to keep it rolling here and bring those guys that are out back.”
A deep roster is ultimately a sign of a team that can make a deep run in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Road Ahead
Game 1 at Boston: Monday, April 17, ESPN (Bruins WIN!)
Game 2 at Boston: Wednesday, April 19, ESPN
Game 3 at Florida: Friday, April 21, TNT
Game 4 at Florida: Sunday, April 23, TNT
Game 5 at Boston: TBD
Game 6 at Florida: TBD
Game 7 at Boston: TBD
