Bruins’ Patrice Bergeron ‘questionable’ for Game 2 against the Panthers

"He doesn't get rattled by anything."

Patrice Bergeron remains a question mark for Game 2 against the Panthers. Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

April 18, 2023

2 minutes to read

After toppling the Panthers in Game 1 on Monday night, the Bruins might be trudging ahead without their captain for at least another postseason tilt.

Speaking on Tuesday morning, Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery acknowledged that Patrice Bergeron is “feeling better’ amid a bout of both illness and a nagging upper-body injury.

Still, there is no guarantee that the top-line center will be cleared for his postseason debut in Game 2 on Wednesday night.

“He’s questionable for tomorrow,” Montgomery said of Bergeron’s availability.

Bergeron’s defensive acumen, playmaking from the slot, and on-ice leadership can’t be replicated.

But the Bruins’ depth across their forward corps has routinely kept them afloat when star talent has been sapped from the lineup.

Following Monday’s 3-1 victory over Florida, the Bruins are now 5-0-0 this season in games without Bergeron in the lineup, and a perfect 19-for-19 on the penalty kill.

Even though Bergeron wasn’t cleared for Boston’s playoff opener, Jake DeBrusk noted postgame that the future Hall of Famer was still at TD Garden and served as a useful resource.

“He was around,” DeBrusk said of Bergeron. “He was around all day and kind of talked to us before the game. He was watching here in the room. Obviously, such a presence. You can tell how bad he wants to be out there, and he can’t wait to get back in the mix.

“It’s one of those things where you can tell he’s itching to get back, and it’s one of those things that we take as a team, and it kind of gives you a boost seeing him around. … We want to do it for him.”

If Bergeron is not available to play in Game 2, Boston has a reliable fall-back option in Pavel Zacha.

The 26-year-old forward has fared well when slotted over to center this season in place of both Bergeron and David Krejci. In Game 1, Zacha logged plenty of reps next to both Brad Marchand and DeBrusk on Boston’s top line.

In Zacha’s 11:40 of 5v5 ice time Monday, the Bruins held an 8-3 edge in shots on goal, along with a 2-1 advantage in goals scored. If needed, Zacha will assume 1C duties once again if Bergeron is not given the green light.

“I think number one is how hard he competes with skill on the puck,” Montgomery said of Zacha’s development this season. “I think that’s — he wins a lot of battles for us now, he kills a lot of plays.

“He wins battles, protects pucks, and he makes plays. To me, I think it’s how hard he is with his skill and his ability to be first on pucks. Because of that, it just helps build our team game.”

Even if Bergeron misses his second-straight playoff game, Montgomery expects Bergeron to be heavily involved in Boston’s prep for Game 2.

“He doesn’t get rattled by anything,” Montgomery said of Bergeron. “He promotes positivity and cool, calm confidence that I think permeates through the group.

“Like yesterday, we’re having him in the coach’s room, [asking] ‘What do you see in’ … He’s in the dressing room talking to the players about what he’s seeing. So that gives players confidence. He has a huge presence with us, even if he’s not on the ice.”