Plan mapped out for Fernandez

WILMINGTON - It wasn't the answer Manny Fernandez wanted.

"No, it wasn't," said the Bruins' injured netminder yesterday, his knee woes making him a spectator for most of this season. "But at least we've reached a decision. We have a plan, and now we'll go from here."

The plan, in a nutshell: 1. get back on skates immediately; 2. build up leg strength through on-ice workouts and off-ice rehab; 3. hope for the best.

All of that, which Fernandez plans to begin as early as tomorrow in a late-morning workout, is in lieu of surgery. Doctors on Thursday filled Fernandez's left knee with dye for a closer examination, and their recommendation, he said, was to stay the conservative course.

"Surgery would take too long," said the goalie, who remained nonspecific about the nature of the injury. "I'd be out for six months, and that's not what I want. I want to play. We just hope it heals on its own, and that it gets better and better, and there is no surgery. But first I have to be more consistent with my ice time . . . I have to be out there practicing every day. I would be out there today, but they put the dye in the knee and it has to cool off first."

Meanwhile, the Bruins tonight will call on workhorse Tim Thomas, winner of his last two starts, when they face the Canadiens in Montreal. Finnish phenom Tuukka Rask, called up as Fernandez's emergency replacement Thursday, made the trip, but coach Claude Julien made it clear Thomas will get the start.

Rask is likely to remain with the Bruins through the weekend, and based on Julien's mood yesterday after the workout at Ristuccia Arena, it's conceivable the rookie could get his first start Tuesday night in Toronto. The Maple Leafs, of course, originally drafted Rask No. 21 overall in 2005, then flipped him to Boston in the summer of 2006 for Andrew Raycroft.

"I haven't written [Rask] off," said Julien, who has watched Thomas make every start since Fernandez's last appearance Oct. 22. "At some point, we'll want him to play."

Meanwhile, there is the matter of Fernandez, on the books for a $4.333 million salary cap hit, and how soon he'll recover. Julien made the goalie's latest medical news sound promising, which could be true, but it could also prove to be wishful thinking.

Fernandez wrenched the knee while positioned as the Wild's No. 1 stopper last season, and the injury proved to be his ticket out of St. Paul. To be laboring with it months later, after originally abstaining from surgery, is frustrating not only for Fernandez, but also for the Boston management team that projected him as a workhorse this season.

But right now, Thomas bears most of the burden in net, leaving everyone else with fingers crossed that Fernandez won't become a latter-day Al Iafrate. The Bruins swapped Joe Juneau to the Capitals for Iafrate in 1994, but the behemoth defenseman, though brilliant in his intermittent appearances, proved to be damaged goods.

"We have a decision now, and we move forward," said Fernandez, whose tone sounded encouraging. "Everyone feels comfortable with it. I'll keep on it, try to build strength around it with exercise, and, hey, it's a plan. I respect the way they [team and medical staff] approached it."

Ference out, Ward in

Andrew Ference, who returned to action in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Maple Leafs after a four-game stint on the injured list with an upper-body injury, returned to the walking wounded brigade yesterday with a sprained knee.

"He felt it a bit during the game, and we kept him on the bench for the final 10 minutes of the third period," noted Julien. The coach added that he expects the 28-year-old defenseman to miss a few games.

Meanwhile, veteran Aaron Ward, out the last two games with a concussion, returned to full workouts yesterday and will pair with Zdeno Chara against the Canadiens. It was Habs blue liner Francis Bouillon who nailed Ward with an elbow, causing the concussion.

"It's over," said Ward, refusing to get into the retribution game. "If I'm asked any questions about, it's over with . . . done . . . it's moot."

Ward said his last concussion came in 1997, when he played for the Stanley Cup-winning Red Wings.

"Someone had to tell me about it," said Ward. "But I got nailed by Bob Probert. He cross-checked me and I went flying facefirst into the ice. And the next day, we signed Joey Kocur."

Tough guy, Kocur.

"I guess so," recalled Ward. "It's kind of scary when you carry a mallet around as one of your hands."

Pain in the neck

Julien and general manager Peter Chiarelli met Thursday with injured center Patrice Bergeron, who came to the Garden during the day for light massage. Now three weeks post-concussion, Bergeron, said Julien, is still unable to twist his neck and therefore cannot drive a car.

"His mother is still with him," said Julien. "She hasn't left his side since it happened. You can see he's hurting. His neck is still locked up, and it's going to take awhile. But we're mentally prepared. We know he's going to get better, but it's going to take time."

Bergeron grows tired quickly, said Julien, making conversations short. Bergeron told the coach that yesterday was one of his "better days," and that, said the coach, could be encouraging.

"These things usually stay level for a while," Julien said. "Then you have a good day, and it seems you build from there. We hope."

Pregame meal

Julien, a former coach of the Canadiens, had his evening in Montreal planned. First a trip to his favorite little restaurant, Le Bis, just around the corner from the Bell Centre. Followed by an evening in his hotel room, watching the Habs face the Sabres in Buffalo.

A slight bronchial infection, he said, would keep him from enjoying a glass of wine with his dinner.

"Same dish every time . . . it's pasta with a lamb sauce," said Julien. "My favorite little meal."

Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at dupont@globe.com.