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Blake Wheeler was the only Bruin to solve Martin Brodeur all day, though this shootout goal by itself was not enough.
(Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff)
Bruins notebook
Ankle injury ices Lucic
Winger could miss month - more or less
Blake Wheeler was the only Bruin to solve Martin Brodeur all day, though this shootout goal by itself was not enough.
(Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff)
The bad news wasn’t as bad as it could have been, which means Milan Lucic will be sidelined for roughly a month after twisting his left ankle Wednesday night in St. Paul. Had it been a significant knee injury - as it initially looked to many, including general manager Peter Chiarelli - the prognosis might have been far worse.
“Well, certainly, when I saw the injury happen - you look at the stress on the lower knee and the ankle,’’ said Chiarelli, addressing the media some 90 minutes prior to yesterday’s Bruins-Devils matchup at the Garden. “I certainly expected worse.’’
Lucic, in obvious pain, hobbled off the ice in the third period, having reached back awkwardly to try to gather in a pass from Dennis Wideman. Lucic took the charter flight home that night and had the injury assessed Thanksgiving Day. The sprain was high to his left ankle, which led doctors to surmise that he’ll need approximately 30 days to get back into the lineup.
“It could be less,’’ said Chiarelli, noting the indefinite timeline with such an injury. “With these things it is difficult. It could be less and it could be a little more.’’
The injury, on the heels of a five-week stretch Lucic missed because of a fractured index finger, won’t help the strapping left winger’s chances of making the Canadian Olympic team. He has played in only 10 games this season and, if he returns on schedule at the end of December, he’ll likely have too little time to impress Team Canada GM Steve Yzerman.
Ready, set, go
Prior to the game, Boston coach Claude Julien said veteran goalie Tim Thomas is getting closer to a return to action, adding that Thomas might have been available to start against the Devils, or perhaps tonight vs. the Senators.The Bruins have yet to disclose what ails Thomas, but it has been widely rumored for over a week that he has been dealing with an injured hand.
Meanwhile, Tuukka Rask has gone 4-1-1 in six consecutive starts, allowing only 12 goals. It’s likely that he will sit out tonight, but Julien will want to be assured that Thomas is 100 percent back from whatever ails him.
“It’s different when you play five or six in a row instead of just, say, once a week,’’ said Rask. “I am used to it, obviously, and you always want to play. I’ve been able to build my confidence day-to-day, and that’s good for a goalie.’’
Devils lose Clarkson
The Devils lost valuable winger David Clarkson to an undisclosed injury on his first shift - after only 57 seconds of ice time. “I don’t think it looks good,’’ said Devils coach Jacques Lemaire. “We will have more news [Sunday], but it does not look good.’’ . . . Patrice Bergeron remained hot at the faceoff dot, winning 11 of 16 draws. Overall, the Bruins won 61 percent of the faceoffs . . . Zach Parise’s goal came seconds after David Krejci lost a draw to Dean McAmmond, one of only four draws McAmmond won all afternoon . . . The Bruins also held a significant edge, 38-26, in the hitting department. Mark Recchi and Vladimir Sobotka each led the way with five slams, the same for ex-Bruin Brian Rolston . . . Rolston led both sides with seven shots on net, and he misfired on three others . . . Boston again was woeful on the power play, going 0 for 3. The first unit had Marc Savard between Marco Sturm and Michael Ryder, with Zdeno Chara and Derek Morris at the points. The No. 2 trio had Krejci between Blake Wheeler and Recchi, with Bergeron and Wideman at the points . . . The lone fight had Shawn Thornton paired up with ex-Sabre Andrew Peters. Thornton had trouble dealing with Peters’s reach advantage . . . Martin Brodeur set the standard for career minutes in net, which now stands at 60,280. The mark of 60,235 was held by Patrick Roy . . . The Bruins now are 1-2-1 in matinees, with 15 more on the schedule . . . It was Boston’s 10th overtime game. The Bruins are 1-1 in games decided during the OT and 4-4 in shootouts.Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at dupont@globe.com. 
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