Bergeron skates again Thursday morning, but Bruins not sure if he'll travel to Florida
BOSTON -- Patrice Bergeron was back on the ice Thursday morning, but the Bruins aren't sure if that means he'll make the trip to Florida later in the afternoon.
Bergeron, who missed his second straight game Wednesday night with an upper-body injury, skated on his own the morning after Boston's 6-3 Game 2 loss to the Florida Panthers. He hasn't taken any contact since the last game of the regular season one week ago, but looked a little more aggressive on the ice Thursday compared to his level of activity when he skated on his own Tuesday and Wednesday.
Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said that Bergeron skating again was a "real positive sign," but didn't know if the team's captain would be joining them when they head south Thursday afternoon.
"I haven't talked to medical or athletic trainers about where he is at as far as coming with us on the trip or not," said Montgomery.
Missing playoff games is tough for any player, but Montgomery said that Bergeron remains in good spirits despite having to sit out.
"He's holding up great. He carries himself with such confidence that it gives energy to everyone else that it's OK. That's how he carries himself on good days and bad days," said Montgomery. "He's in real good spirits mentally and physically. He just wishes he could be with us on the ice right now."
The Bruins and the Panthers are tied at a game apiece heading into Friday night's Game 3 in Sunrise, Florida. Boston hasn't played great in either game so far, though they really missed Bergeron Wednesday night as the team committed 15 turnovers in the home loss.
Montgomery pointed out that Wednesday was the team's first loss in the six games Bergeron has missed this season. It was obviously a big loss, but Montgomery said that the B's remain confident that they can get the job done with or without their captain.
"Everyone's thinking about the one loss right now, because that's what's most recent. That's human nature," said Montgomery. "But there's a lot of confidence in our group of what we can do no matter who's in the lineup."