Broken shinbone KO's Kobasew 4-8 weeks
The way this black-and-blue, broken-bone season has gone for the Bruins, hardly anyone in Black and Gold was surprised when the diagnosis came down for Chuck Kobasew, dropped by a Zdeno Chara slapper Tuesday.
Fractured left tibia, out 4-8 weeks.
The shot, which came early in the first period of the 6-2 win in Toronto, struck Kobasew on an unprotected patch between his skate and shinpad.
"There's a little area this big," said general manager Peter Chiarelli, holding his fingers slightly apart, "where the puck hit."
Kobasew will finish the regular season with career bests in goals (22), assists (17), and points in 73 games. He was one of the few Bruins to play a blue-collar, in-your-face style with consistency, showing a willingness to enter the dirty areas and fight for pucks. Kobasew also missed three games with back and groin injuries.
Kobasew, at TD Banknorth Garden yesterday on crutches and with a cast on his leg, said he wasn't sure after taking the shot whether he was seriously injured. But once the swelling went down and he underwent a CT scan Wednesday, Kobasew learned of the break.
"It's tough, this time of year when there's six games to go, to be dealt with this," said Kobasew, who was replaced on the No. 1 line last night by Glen Murray.
The Bruins might also be without Marc Savard for an extended stretch. Savard, cracked in the back by a Steve Begin cross-check in last Saturday's 3-2 shootout loss in Montreal, missed his second straight game last night. Savard will not play tomorrow against Ottawa and will not be available Sunday when the Bruins face Buffalo. Chiarelli, who said Savard will be reevaluated after the weekend, declined to comment on a Boston Herald story yesterday that said Savard has a broken bone in his back.
Chiarelli spoke to league officials about Begin's hit, which went unpenalized by referees Wes McCauley and Kerry Fraser.
"Where I agree with them is that unless there's a flagrant disregard for the other person, you can't discipline somebody for a cross-check," Chiarelli said. "I don't think it was a flagrant disregard of Savvy. They missed the penalty. They admit that. It resulted in the injury of one of our best players. Tough luck."
Andrew Ference, who suffered a knee sprain last Saturday, sat out his second straight game. Ference was scheduled to skate on his own yesterday morning, but didn't feel good enough. Ference wasn't sure if he would be able to skate today.
"Obviously, I don't feel great because I'd rather be in," said Ference. "But it's not really a bad thing."
Including last night's 4-2 win over the Leafs, the Bruins have lost 331 man-games to injury.
"It's something we've had to face since almost Day 1," said coach Claude Julien.
Bergeron passes test
Patrice Bergeron passed his neuro-psych test Wednesday, clearing yet another checkpoint in his comeback from a Grade 3 concussion. Bergeron had an appointment yesterday afternoon with a neurologist and could be cleared for full-contact practice soon."It feels great," said Bergeron of being symptom-free for the last week. "It took me almost five months with the headaches and nausea. To get up, come to the rink, have something to do, see the guys, get back to the routine, go on the road - doing all that stuff is a great feeling. It just proves to me that hockey's my passion. I just want to keep doing it. I love it."
Once Bergeron returns to full-contact practice, he would need to make it through seven to 10 days without headaches before he can be cleared for game action. However, Bergeron is still 10 pounds lighter than his playing weight, and said he still requires conditioning work before he could play. Such a timetable would rule out a regular-season return.
Lucic is fans' choice
Milan Lucic, the 19-year-old who could have spent this season in junior hockey, won the 39th Seventh Player Award last night, thanks to a take-no-prisoners approach that's resonated with Bruins fans. "They've set a certain identity of playing hard in this organization from back in the day," said Lucic. "I can name lots of them that have played here: Cam [ Neely], Ray Bourque, Terry O'Reilly. You just look up at the rafters and the numbers that are retired. All those guys played hard-nosed, in-your-face hockey. It's a successful and entertaining style." Lucic (7-18 -25, 13 fights in 72 games) was given a 2009 Dodge Nitro. Lucic, the 10th rookie to win the award, said he'll most likely give the car to his parents because he recently purchased a GMC Denali . . . Andrew Alberts was headache-free again yesterday. By his estimation, he required only two more days without headaches before being cleared for full-contact practice . . . Bergeron, Lucic, Phil Kessel, Mark Stuart, Aaron Ward, and Dennis Wideman will shave their heads Monday to raise funds for MassGeneral Hospital for Children. Fans can bid to attend or perform the hair clipping, which will take place at 4 p.m. at the WBCN Basement in Boston. For more info, visit wbcn.com . . . Ference will donate 160 pairs of
