Concussion sidelines Ward

Return date is undetermined

WILMINGTON - On Thursday, 12 days after Patrice Bergeron was felled with a concussion, Aaron Ward sustained one.

Montreal defenseman Francis Bouillon, after serving a third-period delay of game penalty, stepped out of the box and dropped Ward with an elbow to the head. General manager Peter Chiarelli said he acquired video of the play, which confirmed Bouillon hit Ward with his elbow. As of yesterday afternoon, Chiarelli had not heard back from the NHL about possible discipline for Bouillon.

Chiarelli said a timetable for Ward's return is unknown, although he certainly will be out tonight when the Bruins host Buffalo at TD Banknorth Garden. Ward has not missed any NHL games because of a concussion.

Ward, who had been skating with Zdeno Chara on the top defensive pairing and who has not missed a game this season, didn't practice yesterday. He has two goals and three assists and averages the third-most ice time (21:59) of any Bruin, behind Chara and Andrew Ference. Ward leads the team with 33 blocked shots and has 33 hits, second behind Chara (51).

"It's one of those situations where we need to adjust," said coach Claude Julien. "Certain guys have to step up and play better. Not do more, but be better."

The Bruins promoted rookie Matt Hunwick on emergency recall to take Ward's spot. Hunwick, one of the surprises in training camp, has a 0-4 -4 line and a plus-7 rating in nine games with Providence. He has been paired with stay-at-home defenseman Sean Curry, whose presence allows the swift-skating Hunwick to rush the puck and join the play.

"Down there in their system, they like their D to jump up in the play," said Hunwick, who attended the University of Michigan, as did Ward. "You always have at least one guy jumping up. That's probably me more times than not."

Hunwick didn't have a regular partner in practice yesterday because there were only five defensemen. Ference (upper core) and Bobby Allen (arm) didn't skate and are questionable for tonight.

"If he's been called up, it's probably because he's been the best defenseman for them all around," Julien said. "His all-around game has been consistent and pretty reliable. I think right now, when you look at the kind of help we need, he was certainly the guy who was the best candidate to bring up. He's had a good start, went down there with a real positive attitude, and was rewarded for it today by getting an early call-up.

"I don't think we brought him in here to be a savior. There's no doubt about that. He's just got to step in and be part of our hockey club."

Because of the uncertainty about Ference and Allen, the Bruins brought up Matt Lashoff from Providence last night, also on emergency recall. Lashoff was scheduled to participate in today's morning skate and possibly be in the lineup tonight against the Sabres.

Lashoff, 21, has one goal and two assists in nine games for the P-Bruins. He appeared in 12 NHL games last season, totaling two assists.

Bergeron: long-term IR

Bergeron has been placed on long-term injured reserve retroactive to Oct. 27, when he was injured by Philadelphia defenseman Randy Jones.

The Bruins are now free to exercise the long-term injury exception, using all or part of Bergeron's $4.75 million salary hit on any players - most likely scorers, given Boston's 2.2 goals-per-game average, 28th in the NHL - acquired via trade or free agency under the cap. To use the exception, Bergeron must be out for 24 calendar days and 10 games since being placed on long-term injured reserve, meaning he would be ineligible to play until Nov. 23 against the Islanders.

However, given Bergeron's condition, it is highly unlikely he will be ready for game action by then. Kent Hughes, Bergeron's agent, said he didn't expect his client to play again in the 2007 calendar year.

Bergeron is recuperating at home under the watch of his mother, Sylvie. Hughes said a series of recent tests (CAT scan, X-ray, MRI) have come back negative on any structural damage to Bergeron's neck. However, Bergeron is wearing a collar and has complained of a very stiff neck.

Hughes said that from his understanding, because Bergeron was hurt during a team-related activity, the Bruins are covering the costs associated with his injury.

"I've never had a client pay out of pocket," said Hughes, whose agency represents Calgary forward Matthew Lombardi and Washington blue-line prospect Sasha Pokulok, who both have missed long stretches because of concussions.

Fernandez, Thornton out

Manny Fernandez (left knee strain) and Shawn Thornton (broken left foot) were placed on injured reserve.

Thornton, who has missed the last two games, is out 4-6 weeks, while Fernandez's recovery schedule is unknown.

Placing Fernandez, who hasn't played since Oct. 22, on injured reserve does not indicate a setback in his progress. The move was made to clear roster space for Lashoff, who became the 23d man - the maximum allowed by the league - on the active roster.

Fernandez's $4.33 million annual hit still counts against the salary cap.

Power shift

The Bruins went 0 for 4 on the power play against the Canadiens, including failing to score on a 1:58 two-man advantage. Julien tweaked his top unit yesterday, putting Marc Savard on the point with Chara. Glen Murray, Phil Kessel, and Marco Sturm skated down low . . . Chiarelli, assistant GM Jim Benning, vice president Cam Neely, and director of hockey operations and player development Don Sweeney were at Ristuccia Arena . . . With the power-play attackers working at one end and the defensemen practicing touch passes at center ice, the rest of the forwards participated in a shooting drill against Tuukka Rask. Each forward blasted a shot from the point, while the other forwards hovered around the net sniffing for rebounds. Julien has emphasized the need for playing in the dirty areas. "Sturm's goal was a result of that," Julien said of the left wing's goal against Montreal. "Do we have to get better at that? I think we have to get better in those areas. But we're always within a goal of either a point or two. I don't think it's time right now to start picking on our team. I think it's time to keep pushing it in the right direction to make us better."

Fluto Shinzawa can be reached at fshinzawa@globe.com.