The Boston Bruins have been missing David Krejci. The Bruins forward has missed nine games with an upper body injury after colliding with Ottawa Senators forward Bobby Ryan on December 27th. Without Krejci in the lineup, the Bruins went 4-4-1, and briefly fell out of playoff contention. The Bruins frantic scoring pace also fell off without the Czech forward, dropping to just 2.55 goals per game without him, a full half-goal drop in production.
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Now things are starting to look up. Initially listed as ‘week’ to week’ (While this has been a rough patch for the Bruins, it was a great way to show Ryan Spooner as a solid player in his own right.)Claude Julien announced yesterday that Krejci status had been updated to ‘day to day’. While it’s unlikely Krejci will play against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, it’s a possibility that the Bruins could get him back for that game.
“He skated . So he’s coming along. That’s a good sign,” said Claude Julien, prior to the 3-2 win over the Leafs. “That’s basically where he’s at, and we’ll see again…he’s now gone from week-to-week to probably more day-to-day. I wouldn’t say tomorrow, but getting closer.”
The Bruins could certainly use him back in the line up. With Krejci’s return, that would give the Bruins three solid centers to build lines around. A healthy Krejci gives the Bruins an additional scorer who also knows how to play defensive-minded hockey (something that has been missing from a lot of the younger Bruins players, especially the blueliners.)
Krejci’s stats are still impressive, regardless of the missed games. He’s got eleven goals (three of them game winners) for the Bruins, and 33 points overall. Not many players in the league can run a point a game pace, but Krejci is one of those players. Like Patrice Bergeron, he makes other players around him better.
Hopefully, we’ll see him against the Habs, but knowing that he’s day to day makes a lot of Bruins fans breathe a sigh of relief.