Horton Splits Time With Seguin On Bruins Top Line; Soderberg Skates On Third Line
BOSTON (CBS) - Nathan Horton joined his Boston Bruins teammates as they took the United Center ice on Friday, in preparation for Saturday's Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Horton, who left Wednesday's Game 1 with a lingering shoulder injury, split time with Tyler Seguin on Boston's top line -- alongside David Krejci and Milan Lucic.
"If he feels good tomorrow, he'll be in the lineup," head coach Claude Julien said of Horton. "It's as simple as that."
Krejci called Horton "a warrior," and thinks he'll have him playing alongside him in Saturday's Game 2.
"For him to keep himself off the ice, it has to be something really big. He looked great today," said Krejci. "I haven't talked to him but I'm pretty sure he's going to play (on Saturday)."
"It's a positive that he was able to come out and skate," said Lucic. "He's going to do everything in his power to play; he wants to play and hopefully he can play."
Horton Hits The Ice:
"I remember two years ago guys playing through pain as well, it's part of the playoffs and goes to show that guys will do anything," added Lucic. "He said he's feeling pretty good, hopefully he's feeling even better tomorrow."
With Seguin on the top line, Carl Soderberg centered Daniel Paille and Rich Peverley on Boston's third line, with Chris Kelly centering Kaspars Daugavins and Shawn Thornton on the fourth line.
Read: Bruins Shake Off Triple-OT Loss In Game 1
Head coach Claude Julien said Thursday that Horton was day-to-day, and the team was "crossing their fingers" that he would be good to go in Game 2. Horton is second on the Bruins this postseason with 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists).
It appears now that if Horton can't go, Seguin will stay on the top line with Soderberg getting his shot on the third line. The Bruins signed the Swedish forward to a three-year deal in April, after he scored 31 goals in 54 games for Linkoping HC of the Swedish Elite League. He saw ice time in six games for Boston at the end of the regular season, registering a pair of assists.
On the defensive side there were no changes in Boston's blue-line pairings. Rookie Torey Krug, who had a costly turnover in the third period which led to a Chicago goal in Game 1, was back out on Boston's third defensive pairing with Adam McQuaid.
Read: Krug Itching To Redeem Himself
Tune in to every game of the Bruins-Blackhawks Stanley Cup Final on 98.5 The Sports Hub — the flagship station of the Boston Bruins. Pregame coverage begins one hour before, with full postgame coverage with Dave Goucher and Bob Beers after each game.
