The Bruins held their morning skate at the St. Pete Times Forum on Thursday morning as they prepared for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Lightning. And once again, Bergeron participated in the skate, but his status for Thursday's game remains undetermined despite the continued progress he is making in recovering from his latest concussion.
"There's going to be probably a decision made either [Thursday] if not [Friday] as he inches closer," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "He's feeling pretty good. Again, it's not totally up to the coach to make the final decision. I think a lot of other things have to happen. I can only give you the same answer I gave you the other day. If he's in the warm-up, it's because he's ready to go. I'm sure there's going to be some discussions on that as we move forward [Thursday]. It just goes to show you that he's really getting closer."
Bergeron has missed the first two games of the series after suffering what was diagnosed as a mild concussion on a hit by Flyers forward Claude Giroux in the third period of Game 4 of Boston's second-round sweep of Philadelphia.
Bergeron returned to the ice on Saturday, skating on his own that day and Sunday, then rejoined his teammates for practice Monday and the morning skate before Game 2 on Tuesday and now Thursday's morning skate. He has yet to face any real contact or engage in any battle drills, but could still be cleared to play as early as Thursday.
"He's still day to day until I'm told that he's clear," Julien said. "Obviously he had the skate [Thursday] morning and we've got to see what's going on and all this protocol and everything else that goes with it. That's all I can tell you right now. I don't want to elaborate anymore because we're just going in circles here. The best thing to do is if you see him out in the warm-up [Thursday], I'm not just sending him out there for a skate. He's going to be playing."
Bergeron's return would be a huge boost to the club, especially linemates Brad Marchand and Mark Recchi, who have struggled to find chemistry with Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley at center on that line in the first two games of the series.
"It's always difficult when you play with different guys, especially when we've had a different center each of the last two games," Marchand said. "It's a little tough getting used to the chemistry and where guys are on the ice, but I thought we did alright at different points of both games and we had some opportunities. It's always different when you have a different linemate, especially when me, Bergy and Rex have been together since I think December. So we're pretty comfortable with each other. But at the same time, it's our job to adjust and adapt."
Marchand would love to get Bergeron back on Thursday night, but he and the rest of the Bruins are still making sure they are prepared for another game without him.
"Obviously Bergy is such a big part of our team," Marchand said. "If he happens to play [Thursday], that's going to be big for us. But at the same time, we have get focused and ready for the game if he's not playing and be ready to play the same way. Everybody's got to pick it up a little bit if he's not, and if he is it's just a bonus for our team."
The Lightning also recognize the impact Bergeron's return could have on the series, but insist they won't change their approach whether he plays or not.
"Of course, he's a big part of their team and he's a great player, but it doesn’t change the way we have to play to beat these guys," Tampa captain Vincent Lecavalier said. "We'll have to be aware when he's on the ice. We know he's a great faceoff guy, great defensively, offensively, overall he's one of the best players in the league. But I think we have to worry about what we have to do and what we have to do better in Game 3 than we did in Game 2."
