Eager Savard back at practice
Bergeron goes full tilt as well
WILMINGTON - The improbable continued yesterday at Ristuccia Arena, as sidelined centers Marc Savard and Patrice Bergeron continued their push for postseason returns.
Savard, out since March 22 with a broken bone in his back, practiced with his teammates for the first time since suffering the injury, wearing a red noncontact jersey.
Bergeron, sidelined since Oct. 27 when the last hit he took nearly resulted in catastrophe, went through his first full-length, full-contact practice. Neither reported any problems.
"It felt great," said Savard, who has been cleared for contact for today's final practice before the playoffs. "Speed felt good. Shooting felt good. Everything feels great."
Bergeron took a few pops from Aaron Ward, but sounded disappointed that he didn't absorb additional hits.
"I got pushed around a couple times at the net," said Bergeron, who centered Milan Lucic and P.J. Axelsson. "But not necessarily as I would have liked to. I asked the guys to be a little harder on me."
Savard, who skated with a brace on his back, expressed hope that he could return for Game 1. Bergeron has been declared out for tomorrow, but no determinations have been made about the rest of the series.
After practice, Bergeron said he needed to adjust to the speed of the drills, particularly reading plays before the puck arrives on his stick. He acknowledged the danger of suffering another concussion because of the severity of his initial head trauma, but said there is no clear answer on whether waiting until next season would be a safer alternative.
"There's no black or white. It's really a gray area," Bergeron said. "No one knows, really. I'm sure if you ask the doctor, he's going to say that more time is better. But to what level? When does it make a difference? After how long? It's kind of a gray area. You just have to go by how you feel."
Right-wing debate
Axelsson, a career left wing, recalled seeing spare shifts on the right side on the few occasions he skated with Sergei Samsonov and Joe Thornton. But Axelsson has skated on the right for the last five games, the most he's played in a row on the opposite side."Little different," Axelsson said.
Coach Claude Julien made the move after Chuck Kobasew was sidelined with a fractured left tibia, leaving the Bruins short a right wing. Julien figured the veteran Swede could make the switch easier than rookie Milan Lucic, who has remained on the left. Glen Metropolit has centered the threesome, which has served as a checking line.
Julien may choose to send the trio out against Montreal's top gunners: Andrei Kostitsyn, Tomas Plekanec, and Alex Kovalev.
During his stint as a right wing, Axelsson has not been on the ice for an opposing even-strength goal.
"You've got to catch a lot of passes on your backhand," said Axelsson, who acknowledged having to think about the switch during the first few games. "It's not a big deal. You get used to it."
Metro off-track
Metropolit (foot) missed his second day of practice. Julien insisted that Metropolit will be fine . . . Julien didn't tip his hand on which defenseman would sit out Game 1. Andrew Ference (knee) has been sidelined for seven games, but has playoff experience with Calgary and Pittsburgh. "I don't think I'm going to start looking at what's happened in the past," Julien said, referring to Ference's postseason play. "I think we have to look at what's best for us today, tomorrow, and the day after for our hockey club. Whether that changes along the way, we don't know. I certainly can tell you right now that I'm going to have some tough decisions. I'm not going to deny that. No doubt they'll be second-guessed, because everyone's played well."A Rask risk?
Tuukka Rask is recovering from a groin pull. He will practice this week, but Providence coach Scott Gordon wasn't sure how much action he'd see this weekend. Providence kicks off the first round of the AHL playoffs Wednesday against Manchester at the Dunkin' Donuts Center . . . Gordon said Jordan Sigalet had a slight reaction to medication recently to treat his multiple sclerosis, but will be fine for the postseason. On Monday, Sigalet won the Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award, given to the AHLer showing sportsmanship, determination, and dedication to hockey . . . Zach Hamill, Boston's first-round pick in 2007, has appeared in three AHL games since closing out his junior career. Hamill has recorded one assist while centering the top line between Pascal Pelletier and Martins Karsums. "He's been good positionally, which is always a concern for players coming out of juniors," Gordon said. Gordon also praised Jordan Knackstedt, the club's seventh-round selection in 2007, for being sound defensively.