BOSTON — Patrice Bergeron won't be in the lineup when the Bruins open the Eastern Conference Final against Tampa Bay, but he was back on the ice at the Garden on Saturday.
It was just a light skate on his own before the rest of the team took the ice for their morning skate, but it was an encouraging sign nonetheless for the Bruins center who is recovering from a concussion.
"He went out and just had a light skate this morning," Bruins coach Claude Julien said after the morning skate. "So that's where he's at right now, just a light skate on his own."
Bergeron is out indefinitely after suffering what was diagnosed as a mild concussion early in the third period of Boston's clinching game against Philadelphia last Friday. Returning to the ice is a big step in that recovery, but the Bruins are remaining very cautious with their top two-way forward, who has already suffered two serious concussions earlier in his career.
"I don't know, this is just something that is protocol," Julien said when asked how Bergeron felt after his light skate. "He's going through the normal stuff and today was a light skate on his own. He just got off the ice when we went on. I don't think there's much more guys that we can give you. It can go either way. We're certainly not going to comment on that kind of stuff and just hope that he keeps getting better."
The Bruins are already without one top playmaker for the rest of the season, as Marc Savard has been sidelined since suffering his second concussion in less than a year during a game in Colorado in January. Savard won't play at all this postseason, but last week Bruins general manger Peter Chiarelli stated that Savard was likely to rejoin the team sometime during this series. Savard has been home in Ontario recuperating, but both he and the team could benefit from his presence around the club as the Bruins try to reach the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1990.
"I think he's supposed to be coming down at some point," Julien said of Savard. "I'm not quite sure what day or which game, but he is supposed to come down."
Whenever Savard does make it back to Boston, he's sure to find a warm welcome.
"There's no doubt he's part of our hockey club," Julien said. "He's always welcome here and any time he wants to come down [he can]. And I know he's trying to get over a concussion that really set him back and we've given him that space and that time, and being around the family is a good way to help yourself through that. He's always been welcomed here whenever he needs to see doctors or if he wants to come around the team, he's welcome to do that. We could hear something later today that he could be here tonight, and I'll be happy to see him if that were the case."
