Bruins

Bruins’ Patrice Bergeron ruled out for Game 2 against Panthers

Bergeron will miss his second-straight game while recovering from a nagging upper-body injury.

By Conor Ryan

April 19, 2023

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The Bruins will once again take to the ice without their captain in Wednesday’s Game 2 matchup against the Panthers.

Following Wednesday’s morning skate, Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery confirmed that Patrice Bergeron will miss his second-straight playoff game due to injury.

“He’s progressing well, so he’s day-by-day,” Montgomery said of Bergeron. “But he’s a ‘no’ for tonight.”

Bergeron missed Monday’s Game 1 matchup at TD Garden due to both illness and a nagging upper-body injury.

Montgomery clarified on Wednesday that Bergeron’s absence for Game 2 is due to that lingering upper-body ailment, rather than the stomach bug that has worked its way through Boston’s dressing room over the last few weeks.

Bergeron missed the final two periods of Boston’s regular-season finale in Montreal last Thursday due to an upper-body issue. Boston tabbed his early exit against the Canadiens as a “precautionary” measure.

Even though the 37-year-old center was not on the ice for Wednesday’s morning skate, he did take to the frozen sheet at Warrior Ice Arena about an hour before practice commenced.

Working with the team’s skating and skills coaches, Bergeron took part in a number of conditioning drills for over 30 minutes before heading off the ice.

Bergeron’s pre-practice routine follows a similar script as other Bruins players shaking off the rust following some time on the shelf.

“He’s such a pro. He’s such a competitor,” Montgomery said of Bergeron’s efforts to get back in the lineup. “Obviously, everybody knows he wants to be in, but the great thing about him is his ability to put his own personal feelings aside and still lead the room like he does. That speaks volumes about his leadership qualities.”

With Bergeron sidelined once again, Boston will roll out the same lineup from it’s 3-1 victory over the Panthers on Monday night. Pavel Zacha will slot in for Bergeron on Boston’s top line, while Derek Forbort will remain on Boston’s D corps in place of Matt Grzelcyk.

Linus Ullmark will get the start in net for Game 2.

Here is Boston’s projected lineup for tonight:

Marchand-Zacha-DeBrusk
Bertuzzi-Krejci-Pastrnak
Hall-Coyle-Frederic
Foligno-Nosek-Hathaway

Orlov-McAvoy
Lindholm-Carlo
Forbort-Clifton

Ullmark