The Boston Bruins start their ultimate quest for the Stanley Cup tonight when TD Garden hosts Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. When the Bruins meet the St. Louis Blues later tonight, they should have their full lineup. The only players missing will be Chris Wagner and Kevan Miller.
The Bruins have plenty of depth to cover the loss of those two players, no question about it. However, there might be more concerning injury problems in sight. David Krejci has missed the practice several times with an illness during the 11-day layoff after Game 4 win against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Krejci has been the Bruins iron man (ironic), missing just one game all season long while being a healthy scratch to get some rest in the final days of the regular season. In the playoffs, Krejci has led the Bruins’ second line with 15 points. He has been very valuable for the Bruins.
Whether is there any kind of health issue bothering him, or he is really just resting (Krejci admitted that he likes playing games more than taking part in practices), we should find out after the season ends. If the B’s want a successful ending, David Krejci cannot miss a beat.
The second concerning problem might be the one with Brad Marchand. Marchand missed practice on Sunday after he took a puck to his hand during Thursday night’s scrimmage at TD Garden. Marchand, fortunately, should be just fine.
Missing the practice, however, is a sign that there isn’t everything as it should be. The hockey world saw Patrice Bergeron play with a dislocated shoulder and broken ribs without any problems in the Stanley Cup Final in 2013. We won’t get to know the severity of the injuries until after the end.
But there is a hope that Brad Marchand is as close to healthy as possible and will be ready to go. He leads the Bruins with 18 points in the playoffs and everyone remembers his great run in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final. He has been a clutch player for the Bruins so far and head coach Bruce Cassidy needs him to continue to play that way.
Zdeno Chara missed Game 4 versus Carolina and it makes one wonder if there is an injury to keep the Bruins captain out of the lineup. It’s not ideal then. Even if the coaches say that those players will be ready to go, it’s always concerning, especially for the fans.
Those potential injuries might not be injuries at all, it all might be just designed to get in an opponent’s head. But at the end of the day, the Bruins fans will still worry every time they see some of their best players missing the practice. For now, it should be all good and the Bruins should roll out their best possible lines in Game 1 against the Blues. The B’s need everybody healthy and ready to help out to take down a tough Blues team.
