Patrice Bergeron a game-time decision for Bruins-Panthers Game 5
BOSTON -- It sounds like Patrice Bergeron has one final hurdle to clear before he makes his postseason debut: Himself.
Bergeron is a game-time decision for Wednesday night's Game 5 against the Florida Panthers at TD Garden, and whether he plays or not will be up to him.
Bergeron participated in Boston's optional morning skate on Wednesday, and he must be champing at the bit to get involved in this series after missing the first four games with a combination of an illness and a lingering upper-body injury. The Bruins own a 3-1 lead over the Panthers and can advance to the next round with a win on Wednesday.
During the regular season, Bergeron was Boston's third-leading scorer with 27 goals and 31 assists for 58 points. His impact is so much more than just goals and assists though, with the 37-year-old captain providing a calming veteran presence whenever he's on the bench.
Given the decision is up to Bergeron, chances are he'll be suiting up for Boston in Game 5. On Tuesday, Jim Montgomery had the captain skating with David Pastrnak and Tyler Bertuzzi, instead of his longtime linemate Brad Marchand. We'll see if those lines shake out when the puck drops Wednesday night.
While Bergeron's status remains up in the air, we know that David Krejci won't be playing. While Montgomery said that Krejci is progressing well from the upper-body injury that has sidelined him since Game 3, the head coach ruled Krejci out for a third straight game Wednesday morning.
