WILMINGTON, Mass. — After getting a day off Tuesday to deliver toys to local hospitals, the Bruins returned to the ice on Wednesday for a short but spirited workout at Ristuccia Arena.
Two Bruins got an extra day of rest though, with defenseman Andrew Ference and forward Rich Peverley not participating in practice. Ference was out sick, while Peverley continues to battle an undisclosed nagging injury that could sideline him for Friday's game against Florida.
"Ference is battling the famous flu bug," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "Peverley is maintenance and we're having a good look at our schedule and what it may do for him. We're going to keep him off there for the next couple of days. [Thursday] is certainly another one of those days and we'll decide whether he's in on Friday and if not then that will give him at least a good week. So we're going to be making a decision on him regarding his situation."
Peverley has gotten several days off from practice recently but has not missed a game in that span. He did miss two games early in November with an undisclosed injury, but remains tied with Patrice Bergeron for second on the club in scoring with 6-19-25 totals and is a plus-12 in 30 games.
The rest of the Bruins did participate in Wednesday's practice as the Bruins prepare for a clash with Southeast Division leading Florida and try to head into the Christmas break on a high note.
"It's like that every year, you'd like to end a positive note so that you can head into Christmas and probably enjoy it a little more," Julien said. "Every team I'm sure thinks the same way. On our end of it we have no excuse. We've had some time off here from playing and hopefully we'll be the fresher team of the two when that game comes around."
To help keep the Bruins fresh, Julien kept Wednesday's workout relatively short, but he isn't overly concerned with the club's workload.
"Guys I don't think are necessarily overtired right now," Julien said. "[Tuesday] was a busy day with them going to the hospitals, but staying off the ice is good. And [Wednesday] was a short, 40-minute practice, but intense. We just want to get through the next couple of days here and finish off on a high note and then they'll get those two or three days at Christmas which should give them the rest they need."
