Bruins Injury Roundup: Bergeron, Marchand, Chara, DeBrusk Reveal What Slowed Them Down In Playoffs
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- After just about every NHL team gets eliminated from the postseason, the final media availability session for the players tends to reveal the high number of injuries that the team was dealing with during their playoff run. It's an annual reminder of how grueling the 82-game season and postseason can be.
The Bruins were no exception, with a number of players -- most of them key contributors -- revealing the injuries which they played through before getting eliminated by the Lightning in five games in the second round of the playoffs.
Patrice Bergeron
The alternate captain and longest-tenured Bruins revealed that the game he missed in the Toronto series was due to concussion-like symptoms, though he said he did not suffer a concussion. Bergeron said he was fighting a cold at the time, and doctors advised him to skip the game just in case.
Bergeron also played through a groin injury. Bergeron scored six goals and tallied 10 assists for 16 points in 11 playoff games. His plus-six rating was tops among Bruins forwards.
Surgery is a possibility for Bergeron, who will turn 33 years old this summer.
Brad Marchand
The Bruins' winger expressed some regret about his licking habit, and he revealed that he played through a groin injury over the final six or seven games of the season. Marchand posted 4-13-17 totals in 12 postseason games played, but he went without a goal in the Bruins' final four games -- all losses. He said he does not need surgery.
Zdeno Chara
The Bruins' captain told the media that he dealt with an upper-body injury. He got specific with Joe McDonald of The Athletic, revealing that he suffered a broken index finger on his right hand during Game 2 against Toronto. Chara is hoping to avoid surgery.
At 41 years old, Chara ranked second among Bruins skaters with 283 minutes on ice during the postseason. He recorded three points (one goal and two assists) and had a team-best plus-7 rating. That goal came in Game 3 against Toronto, just two days after suffering the injury.
Jake DeBrusk
One of the Bruins' most electric players during the playoffs, 21-year-old Jake DeBrusk said he suffered a sprain in the AC joint of his shoulder at some point during the Tampa Bay series. He scored six goals, tied for most on the team, and recorded two assists in 12 playoff games. After scoring four goals in Games 6 and 7 vs. Toronto and Game 1 vs. Tampa Bay, he went scoreless for the final four games.
DeBrusk may need surgery to repair the shoulder. If DeBrusk does need surgery, it won't be nearly as traumatic an event as it was the last time he needed surgery due to an on-ice injury.
Riley Nash
When Riley Nash spoke to the media prior to making his postseason debut, he told the media that he wasn't sure if the Torey Krug shot that hit him in the head resulted in a concussion. On Wednesday, Nash revealed that he did indeed suffer a concussion from the incident.
Nash went from producing 15-26-41 totals in 76 regular-season games to registering just one assist with no goals in nine playoff games. He was scratched from the Bruins' lineup in Game 4 against the Lightning.
Noel Acciari
The physical fourth-liner revealed that he had been playing through a sports hernia since November. He tallied 10 goals and one assist in 60 regular-season games and posted 1-1-2 totals in 12 playoff games. He will undergo surgery this offseason.
David Backes
The veteran forward suffered a scary injury in the Bruins' final postseason game, when he absorbed a head-to-head hit from J.T. Miller. Backes did not say that he officially suffered a concussion on the hit, but he said "that would be my guess" when asked if that was the diagnosis. He told reporters that he likely would have missed the remainder of the second round but could have possibly returned to the ice for the third round.
"It's never great to have a brain injury, but it's part of what we do, and I think with time to recover and not be forced into a game in short order, or have competitive injury is the best case for me to get back to full health and be ready to start next season," Backes said.
Backes, who turned 34 on May 1, had a rather difficult season from a physical standpoint. He had to undergo surgery early in the season to remove a part of his colon after dealing with diverticulitis. He also suffered a laceration after taking a skate blade to his thigh.
Torey Krug
The frightening injury which everyone witnessed in Game 4 vs. Tampa turned out to be what most everyone expected it to be: a fractured ankle.
Krug, though, does not need surgery, and will just need to wear a walking boot for two months.
"I've got to be patient with it and make sure it heals fully," Krug said. "We have plenty of time. I'll be able to be ready for camp."
Brandon Carlo
Speaking of broken ankles, Brandon Carlo said he's on the road to recovery after he suffered a broken ankle in the final days of the regular season. Carlo said he'll be walking next week and will "absolutely" be ready to go when training camp opens.
