BOSTON — The Bruins added a valuable piece to their roster on Tuesday afternoon when they acquired Jaromir Jagr from the Dallas Stars. However, they may be dealing with a loss that, if it’s prolonged, could hurt more than Jagr might help upon joining the B’s.
The Bruins lost Patrice Bergeron during the second period of the B’s 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday at TD Garden. The forward appeared to get hit in the head by Colin Greening as the two players went for a puck in the Boston end. Bergeron looked dazed initially before skating to the bench and heading down the tunnel.
The first reaction, naturally, is to recall the two-way forward’s concussion history, which is well-documented. However, the Bruins were tight-lipped about Bergeron’s status following the game.
“No I don’t,” head coach Claude Julien stated flatly when asked if he had an update on Bergeron.
There was no announcement from the team in regard to any potential injury following the game either. It was announced prior to the third period that Bergeron’s night was over, but that was all the information that was given.
It’s a monumental understatement to say that if Bergeron is lost for a period of time that his absence will adversely affect the Bruins. The reigning Selke winner is one of the best all-around players in the entire league, and you could argue that he is the most important player on the Bruins roster.
“It’s a player that plays a big role on our team,” Bruins captain Zdeno Chara said. “Obviously he’s one of the best players on every night, so I’m sure he’s been missed since he left the game.
The Bruins know, however, that no one is going to feel sorry for them if Bergeron is lost for an extended period of time.
“Honestly, everyone just has to step up,” Bergeron’s linemate, Tyler Seguin, said after the game. “He’s such a big part of our team, big leader, obviously our definite best defensive forward. It’s really focusing right now on our zone, and everyone stepping up as well.”
If there is a silver lining for the Bruins, it’s that they should be able to withstand Bergeron’s potential absence, in the short term at least. They have some solid depth down the middle, even without Chris Kelly for the time being, and they showed that Tuesday. David Krejci, Gregory Campbell and Rich Peverley were all called on to fill the void in Bergeron’s absence against the Senators.
“You can’t say enough about Patty, but I think Soupy, Krech and Pevs did a good job in trying to step their game up and fill that void,” Shawn Thornton said. “You can never replace a guy like that, but I thought they did a pretty good job of that in the third when they’re rolling through that and playing pretty well for him.”
