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Stuart has surgery, could miss two weeks
Defenseman Mark Stuart, who required an emergency room visit to a Toronto hospital late Friday night, yesterday underwent surgery on an infected finger and will miss at least two weeks, according to a statement released by the Bruins.
Stuart returned to Boston Saturday to be treated for a sudden flare-up of cellulitis, an infection of the skin, on one of his hands.
Coach Claude Julien had maintained Saturday morning that the club hoped Stuart would be available for tonight’s game against the Capitals in Washington.
But then came the news of surgery.
The statement provided no detail about the specific nature of the surgery. It’s possible the cellulitis was advanced, and doctors felt that an operation, rather than treatment by oral or IV antibiotics, was the most prudent course of action.
“I got lucky because it didn’t slice a tendon,’’ said Seidenberg. “And I got doubly lucky because it just missed an artery. So it could have been worse.’’
Seidenberg, saying the wound is still “a little painful,’’ is uncertain if he’ll be able to play tonight.
“I’ll have to see how it feels after the morning skate,’’ he said. “I’m taking some painkillers now. It’s not too bad, but we’ll have to see how it is.’’
Seidenberg said that doctors in Toronto did not prescribe antibiotics. When he practices and if he plays, he said he’ll be certain to place a wrap over the stitches in hopes of keeping the wound from being infected.
The Black-and-Gold team with playoff aspirations better keep the coffee pot perkin’, because these last four exams, beginning tonight against the Capitals, could be beauts.
“The pressure can get to you, but you have to find a way to fight through it,’’ Julien said , his squad tied for seventh place in the East with the Flyers with 84 points, just a smidge better than the Rangers (ninth, 82 points) and Thrashers (10th, 81). “We’ve had some tough things happen to us this year. It’s been tough on us. I’ve seen teams pack it in [under similar circumstances], but to our credit, we haven’t.’’
Anyone below that eighth slot as of Sunday night gets handed an “F’’ for the season.
The parade of horribles for Julien’s jewels continued in Toronto, where the Bruins escaped with a victory, Miro Satan tipping home a Zdeno Chara slapper with only 1:35 remaining in sudden death.
With blue liners Seidenberg and Stuart both out of the mix — save for Seidenberg’s six shifts before being hurt — Julien had to place Herculean minutes on the likes of Chara, Johnny Boychuk, Dennis Wideman, and Matt Hunwick. Combined, those four totaled 114:32 in ice time, for an average of 28:48.
Chara, who teed up a slapper for the shot that Satan tipped past Jonas Gustavsson for the winner, led the Fab Four with 32:53 of ice time. That was more than 50 percent more than the busiest forward, Patrice Bergeron (21:08), and slightly more than 400 percent more than Andrew Bodnarchuk, the rookie defenseman who made his NHL debut unaware than big league hockey would mean playing one man down in what is usually a defensive six-pack.
However, don’t be surprised if Bodnarchuk gets sent down and D-man Adam McQuaid is recalled from Providence for tonight.
Little wonder that Julien, who continually notes that his charges are “playing for our playoff lives’’, called off yesterday’s practice. After arriving at their D.C. hotel around 2 a.m., everyone had the privilege of sleeping in and then strolling amid the cherry blossoms.
The Capitals, the top dogs in the East, are this week’s opening exam. The Bruins then return home to face top-notch divisional rival Buffalo Thursday and the DNQ Hurricanes in a Saturday matinee. Then comes the closer, yet another matinee, but back in D.C. Sunday against the Capitals. It would be an unsavory Sunday if they had to take on the Capitals, one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup, in need of a point or two to make it into the NHL’s Round of 16.
Kevin Paul 
