Blake Wheeler, Dennis Wideman and Johnny Boychuk were all home sick with flu-like symptoms and are game-time decisions for Thursday night's Bruins game against the Penguins. There could very well be some call-ups from Providence, and now the question is: What kind of players are coming, and will they have a lot of penalty minutes?
Andrew Ference said he is a game-time decision and may have to play, depending on the health of his teammates. Ference has not played since March 2, and has said he will need surgery in the offseason to repair his injured groin.
On the bright side for the Bruins, Patrice Bergeron confirmed that he will play on Thursday. The forward left Tuesday's win in Carolina late in the third period after taking a Mark Stuart slapshot off the leg, but X-rays were negative.
The Penguins, meanwhile, will be without Evgeni Malkin, who is second on the team in points with 69. Malkin said he won't play due to a foot injury, while Eric Godard will be a game-time decision with a groin injury.
The goaltending matchup will pit Tuukka Rask against Marc-Andre Fleury. The former is coming off a 32-save performance in Carolina, while the latter was pulled in the second period in Wednesday night's loss to the Devils.
