Things were supposedly looking for the Boston Bruins Patrice Bergeron after Saturday night’s game, even though he left with a new footwear accessory. That apparently was wrong.
When news began to circulate after the Boston Bruins lost to the Maple Leafs on Saturday that Patrice Bergeron left in a walking boot, some people began to worry. But, he played on Sunday and everything seemed fine…well not anymore.
It was announced yesterday that Bergeron has a small foot fracture and will be out at least 2 weeks, when he will be re-evaluated. While he is out, Riley Nash will slot into Bergeron’s spot and the newly acquired Tommy Wingels will center the third line between Backes and Heinen.
https://twitter.com/NHLBruins/status/968561054765723649
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While obviously less than ideal in the short-term, this could actually be a positive down the road. If Bergeron is out 2 weeks, the Bruins probably won’t catch Tampa Bay for 1st in the Atlantic Division. But they have such a lead on 4th place in the Atlantic Division and games in hand over Toronto, that even without Bergeron, the playoffs, and even possibly the 2nd seed, are almost a lock. With the injury, it gives Bergeron some time off to rest and most likely won’t threaten the team’s playoff chances.
Looking ahead
Looking at their schedule, the Bruins have a 6 game homestand coming up and Bergron will miss all 6 games, and probably the Chicago game on Sunday March 11th. If I had to guess I think the re-evaluation will come around March 12th right in the middle of a 9 game stretch, with 8 of those games on the road.
Bergeron is such an important part of the team that I was very surprised he played in Buffalo on Sunday. With the news of the foot fracture, obviously he shouldn’t have played out of an abundance of caution. Let’s just hope that it’s only a small fracture and he will be 100% for the playoffs.
While he’s out, we will get a good look at the newest Bruins forward Tommy Wingels. Acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks at Monday’s trade deadline, Wingels is a versatile forward who can play both center and wing and should be an excellent bottom 6 pick up by General Manager Don Sweeney.
Wingels is a physical presence and is an experienced penalty killer. When Bergeron returns, Wingels should be add an extra boost to an already great 4th line if called upon, or even up the lineup if needed due to rest or injury. In fact, in last night’s game against the Hurricanes, Wingels had a goal and an assist in his Bruins debut.
Next: Boston Bruins Week 21: Things getting Nashty
Bergeron’s foot fracture is going to be a problem in the upcoming games and the Bruins will need to manage their forwards, without their best forward for the next few weeks. There are some future positives to this as it rests Bergeron for the playoffs and they have enough depth to hopefully manage well enough for hopefully just the 2 weeks first reported.