About-face: Thornton remains out of lineup
Would he or wouldn't he? That was the intrigue yesterday at the morning skate surrounding Bruins captain Joe Thornton, who had surgery Thursday to repair his fractured right cheekbone. He was on the ice at the FleetCenter, participating in the pregame workout, and said he was determined to talk coach Mike Sullivan into letting him play last night against the Florida Panthers.
Thornton was sporting a full cage, identical to what college players wear, and looked comfortable during drills. The speculation that Thornton would play was fueled by Sullivan's reaction when asked if there would be any lineup changes. Sullivan went from a serious face to laughing, saying it would be a "game-time decision," but admitted afterward the captain had no shot of playing.
It was decided that Thornton needed more time to mend, so he served as a spectator during last night's 2-1 loss, missing his third game. There's a strong possibility he will return Tuesday when the Bruins visit the Islanders.
Thornton said he saw a replay of the titanic punch the Rangers' Eric Lindros threw that gave him a nasty black eye and fractured his facial bone. His momentum during the fight swung his head down at the same time Lindros's fist was coming straight up.
"It's one of those things where you can't get out of the way," he said. "He tagged me right on. Hopefully, I'll watch out for those next time. I was kind of coming in and my balance wasn't kind of right. I've been in quite a few fights, but no one has ever hit me that flush. He got me with a good one, that's it."
Initially, Thornton said the vision in his right eye was affected, but during the operation, blood was drained from his face when a plate was inserted to stabilize the bone and that reduced the swelling dramatically.
"It hasn't been painful at all, to be honest with you," he said. "Just my vision, that was pretty much where it was affected. But it feels fine now. I can see really good now. The swelling is still a little bit there but I can see fine and I feel fine out there."
There was no incision made to the outside of Thornton's cheek. "They went in through my mouth, up through my gum, and went in that way," he said.
He was kept overnight at Massachusetts General Hospital, because he has a history of developing infections, and was given intravenous antibiotics.
"They said I didn't have any signs of
Thornton wore a half-shield in junior hockey. "I haven't worn one of these in 10 years," he said. "It's like going to BU."
Up front about it
Defenseman Jeff Jillson was a healthy scratch for the third time in four games. In the last game he played -- Tuesday in New York against the Rangers -- Jillson suited up as a forward, which he hadn't done since his first year of high school. With the addition of Jiri Slegr to the blue line corps, it has been more difficult for Jillson to crack the lineup. "I've had some experience with this a little bit in the past," said Jillson, referring to his time in San Jose. "It's one of those things where you've just got to be patient and wait for my opportunity. [Sullivan] just said pretty much that we have a lot of depth right now on the back end and just stay patient and do what you can off the ice to make sure you stay in shape and make sure you keep that edge." Jillson said he did the best he could up front but the transition wasn't easy. "I was a little bit lost out there," he said. "When we were in our zone, I was all right. If we had the puck in their zone, I was OK. It was when we either dumped it in or they were coming out on us in the neutral zone, I didn't know where to go. Hopefully, I didn't look too bad out there. [Linemate Mike Knuble] said to me, `Try not to skate backwards so much.' It was just a natural reaction, when the play is coming at you, to pivot and skate backwards instead of going hard forward [in both directions]. I didn't even know I was doing it." . . . Craig MacDonald didn't have any points last night or in his Bruins debut Thursday against Buffalo, but he acquitted himself well in his first outing and got nearly nine minutes of ice time against Florida, his former club. "He skates well, he's physical, he finishes checks, and he brings a lot of energy," said Sullivan.
Better news
The Bruins' injured players are improving but no timetable has been established for their return. "Sandy McCarthy [concussion] just started activity," said Sullivan. "That's a process they go through. He hasn't been on the ice yet so that's the next step. Michal Grosek [concussion] still isn't at the point of activity yet. Travis Green [torn rib cartilage] is progressing. Ian Moran is still battling the ankle sprain but he's making progress as well." Moran hopes to begin skating in a week.
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