VANCOUVER — Marc Savard is not with the Bruins in Vancouver, but his presence is definitely felt by the club as it makes its first Stanley Cup Final appearance since 1990.
"Well, he's certainly watching us play," Bruins coach Claude Julien said Saturday before Game 2. "It was nice to see him in Boston a few weeks ago. He brought his kids along. I think it was good for him. It was also good for his teammates to see that he's slowly getting better. He's still got a long ways to go."
Savard is sidelined indefinitely after suffering a second concussion within a year after a hit by ex-Bruin defenseman Matt Hunwick in a game in Colorado in January. The previous March, Savard suffered a far more severe concussion on a blindside cheap shot from Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke.
Savard has been recuperating at his home in Ontario, but he did come to Boston to watch Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final against Tampa Bay, which the Bruins won 6-5. Boston even scored two power-play goals that night, so just his presence in the building seemed to be enough to get that struggling unit going.
The Bruins could use more of that in this series, as they went 0-for-6 on the man advantage in a 1-0 loss in Game 1 in Vancouver. According to Julien, the Bruins may get another visit from Savard when the series shifts back to Boston.
"Marc is certainly watching closely," Julien said. "To be honest with you, I wouldn't be surprised to see him in Boston. Maybe putting a little pressure on him to get back there, but he's in our thoughts.
"We know what he's going through is not an easy thing," Julien added. "We also realize from our end of it how good a player he was when he was at his best, and the power play was always very good when he was on it. When you lose a player like that, you certainly miss him. We've done our best here to fill the gaps. It's gotten us here. Now it's up to us to finish the job."
