Crushing Blow For Krejci: Who needs to step up for the Bruins?
[photogallerylink id=19417 align=right]The Boston Bruins took a commanding 3-0 series lead Wednesday night with a 4-1 win in Philadelphia over the Flyers. However, the Bruins suffered yet another key injury losing center David Krejci for the remainder of the season with a dislocated right wrist. Krejci had immediate surgery to repair the wrist at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore. Felger and Mazz discuss how the Bruins will move forward.
Felger: "This is a crushing blow to the hopes of the Bruins. Crushing. People who say this loss is comparable to the loss of Marco Sturm don't know hockey. If you were going to make a list of people the Bruins could not afford to lose I would rank Tuukka Rask as number one, Chara number two, and Krejci number three. He's that important. This is a guy who does it all for the Bruins. People that are just casual fans and who are jumping on the bandwagon will say Sturm's been out and the Bruins have been ok so they should be fine without Krejci. Wrong people. This guy you just lost last night is irreplaceable. He's one of those guys that you just love because he isn't one-dimensional. He does it all and those are the guys you can't afford to lose this time of year. Going forward I would have said it would be an uphill battle against Pittsburgh, but now I just don't see how the Bruins can get past the Penguins without Krejci. He's that important."
Mazz: "I agree completely Mike this is by far the biggest storyline right now. It's not the fact the Bruins are up 3-0 in the series and are one game away from advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 18 years! I mean that should be the story here, but unfortunately it's not. If I were to ask you Mike what would you rather have, a 2-1 series lead and a healthy David Krejci or a 3-0 series lead and no Krejci for the rest of the playoffs what would you pick? It's a no brainer you would have sacrificed the outcome of last night's game to have Krejci available the rest of the way. This story is that big. I even think with the way Krejci has played the last two months the Bruins could have afforded to lose Savard but not David Krejci."
The Collin-tary: Since Marc Savard went down two months ago, David Krejci has been the Bruins most productive offensive player. Krejci's game is very similar to that of Patrice Bergeron. Both players are extremely well-rounded and do a number of things well. Krejci arguably has the softest hands and best hockey instincts on the team. He is a gifted offensive player with excellent vision, a talented goal scorer, a tenacious defender, persistent penalty killer, and is extremely difficult to play against in all three zones.
Following the Savard injury, Bruins fans felt the remainder of the season would be lost. Krejci stepped in. Now that Krejci is lost for the remainder of the season, who will Bruins fans turn too next? Enter 22-year-old Vladimir Sobotka. Like Krejci, Sobotka is of Czech descent and has the potential to be a gifted all around player. As a 19-year-old he was part of the Bruins playoff push in 2008, and had an exceptional first round series against Buffalo this year.
Sobotka must now step up from the fourth line to center the second or third line. One likely line combination would be Milan Lucic, Miroslov Satan, and Sobotka. In order for the B's to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals and beyond, Sobotka must be an effective offensive weapon. Boston will also need added scoring from the likes of Bergeron, Michael Ryder, Lucic, and Blake Wheeler. The Bruins have had little luck this season, but fortunate for them they seem to be making their own luck on the ice.
