BOSTON — The Bruins gave their regulars the day off on Sunday as the club tries to regroup from Saturday's 5-2 loss to Tampa Bay in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final.
But there were still some Bruins on the ice at the Garden, as the Black Aces — the extra players called up to practice with the club in the postseason — got in a workout. Also on the ice for the second straight day was center Patrice Bergeron, who skated on his own before the scratches as he continues his recovery from a concussion.
Bergeron skating again is an encouraging sign, but the Bruins were quick to temper expectations of a quick return as the club will be very cautious with their top two-way forward, who already suffered two serious concussions in 2007 and 2008. Even with the stakes as high as they are with a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals on the line, the Bruins aren't going to risk Bergeron's long-term health by rushing him back into the lineup.
"If he's not 100 percent, he'll never play," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "Whether it's regular season or playoffs, our organization, even before they tightened up the rules on that, there was no way we would ever do that to a player. That is too important to his personal lifestyle and the life he's going to lead after hockey. That will always come before the game. And it's unfortunate, but that's the way it should be. And we believe in that and we're going to continue to enforce it.
"So the day you see Bergy back in our lineup, he will be 100 percent," Julien added. "If he's not, you're not going to see him."
Beyond proceeding with caution, Julien didn't offer much information on Bergeron's status.
"You saw him skate and that's basically where he's at right now," Julien said. "And that's the only update I can give you."
Beregron's teammates, meanwhile, have to cope with the conflicting emotions of wanting their leading playoff scorer back in the lineup and their concern for their friend's health and well-being.
"We definitely want him back as soon as possible. He's such a key part of the team," forward Brad Marchand said. "But obviously you're always worried about a guy's health when a situation like this arises."
Marchand is confident that Bergeron will know not to push himself to play before he's ready.
"The way he is, the way he's looking and the way he talks, he would know when to not come back and when to come back," Marchand said. "By no means is he going to rush himself in this situation where it could be a serious injury."
The Bruins are all too familiar with dealing with concussions to key players. Bergeron missed the final 72 games of the 2007-08 season and the 2008 playoffs after a severe concussion on a hit from behind by Randy Jones, and another 15 games from a collision with current teammate Dennis Seidenberg, then with Carolina, midway through the 2008-09 season.
Marc Savard, meanwhile, returned for the second round last year against Philadelphia after suffering a serious concussion in March from Matt Cooke's brutal cheapshot. But Savard later endured a recurrence of post-concussion symptoms in the summer, missed the start of the season and has been sidelined again since suffering another concussion in January.
"Obviously everyone is a little more cautious because of Savvy's situation, but I hope it's not going to arise with Bergy," Marchand said. "I hope he can come back soon.
"He loves being out there and I can only imagine how bad it killed him last night to be watching that game, knowing he could be out there and be a key factor," Marchand added. "That's always very tough. Obviously he's going to want to back next game and do whatever he can to be back by that point, but even as bad as I think he wants to come back, he knows he can't just throw himself out there when he's still hurt. He won't help us and he's not going to help himself."
The Bruins' next game is Tuesday night when they'll try to even the series in Game 2 at the Garden. While the Bruins would love to welcome Bergeron back for that game, the organization won't rush his return, and the players are trying not to exert too much energy on worrying about when he will be back.
"Honestly, you're happy for him and wish him the best, but you can't get excited or frustrated if he has a setback," defenseman Andrew Ference said. "He's out right now and that's kind of the end of it. It's not really discussed a whole lot more. It's not like we're pining for the moment he comes back. We know guys can fill in. Segs [Tyler Seguin] did a great job last night. You want a completely healthy team, but you're kidding yourself if you think you're going to have that. You just let him do his own timeline and when he comes back, he comes back."
