Defenseman Derek Morris was not present for the morning skate on Tuesday and is a question mark for Tuesday night's game against the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Morris was to be checked out by doctors and if cleared, he will play. If not, Johnny Boychuk will be in the lineup.
Also, Brad Marchand reportedly will be a healthy scratch up front as the coaching staff might like him to watch from above and learn a little more about walking the fine line of playing on the edge and taking bad penalties that hurt his team. Marchand took two consecutive minors in the second period of Saturday night's 4-2 win over the Sabres and then received a 10-minute misconduct in the third. Marchand can be a successful pest but he must pick his spots. If Marchand does play, Trent Whitfield will be the healthy scratch up front.
The Penguins are reeling, but according to former Bruin Bill Guerin, no one is feeling sorry for himself.
"There's none of that in here and the guys know that injuries are part of the game," Guerin said. "You just need to deal with it and keep playing your game."
Injured forward Evgeni Malkin skated in a red sweater for the second consecutive day but will not play against the Bruins. Malkin has been out with an injured shoulder since Oct. 29.
Here is Tuesday's expected lineup for the Bruins:
Forwards
Marco Sturm–Patrice Bergeron–Mark Recchi
Blake Wheeler–David Krejci–Michael Ryder
Daniel Paille–Trent Whitfield–Vladimir Sobotka
Shawn Thornton–Steve Begin–Byron Bitz
Defensemen
Zdeno Chara–Derek Morris/Johnny Boychuk
Matt Hunwick–Dennis Wideman
Mark Stuart–Andrew Ference
Goaltenders
Tim Thomas
Tuukka Rask
