Apr 12, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Daniel Paille is helped off the ice after being injured on a hit by Buffalo Sabres defenseman Jake McCabe (29) during the third period at TD Garden. The Bruins won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
As the Boston Bruins prepare for their first round playoff series versus the Detroit Red Wings, some guys are nursing themselves back to health and may or may not be available to the Bruins this postseason. Heres a quick update:
Patrice Bergeron: Bergeron left Saturday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres shortly after scoring his 30th goal of the season. He never returned and after the game Bruins head coach Claude Julien ensured us it was a “very minor injury”. He didn’t travel with the team to New Jersey the next day for the B’s regular season finale and to date I can’t find any real updates other than everyone seems pretty confident he will be in uniform come Friday night. After all this is a guy that played through some pretty nasty injuries last year so it would take a lot for him not to be out there.
Daniel Paille: Same as Bergeron, Paille left Saturday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres after getting buried at the blue line by Jake McCabe. Paille had to be helped off the ice and he didn’t look like he was in a good place. He also didn’t travel with the team but Julien was optimistic on Sunday, saying Paille was “much better”. If I had to guess based on his injury history, Paille could be out awhile. Hopefully I’m wrong and he only misses a game or two if that.
Dennis Seidenberg: Everyone got excited a week or so ago when Seidenberg, who is coming back from knee surgery, started skating on his own. However the optimism has shifted to pessimism as it now appears as though we may not see Seidenberg back in a B’s jersey until next season. From B’s general manager Peter Chiarelli, “We’re not counting on Dennis to be back. We’re going to be very cautious with his injury. He has been skating, but that’s all I can say on it. It really hasn’t changed.” Take that for what you will.
Adam McQuaid: Perhaps the most mysterious of them all, McQuaid hasn’t played since January 19th because of a quadriceps injury. He was supposed to be back already but suffered a serious of setbacks and now may be in the same boat as Seidenberg.
Chris Kelly: The 3rd line forward has battled back spasms for about a week or so now and while he missed a handful of games at the end of the regular season he is expected to be in the Bruins lineup when the playoffs start.