It appears Patrice Bergeron still is feeling the effects of his fight Thursday night with Winnipeg Jets winger Blake Wheeler.
The Boston Bruins center sat out practice one day after scrapping with Wheeler during the second period of the Bruins’ 6-2 rout of the Jets. Head coach Claude Julien chose not to reveal details of Bergeron’s injury in his post-practice meeting with reporters, but he deemed the All-Star questionable for Saturday’s road matchup with the Minnesota Wild.
Bergeron scored two goals and recorded a season-high nine shots on net Thursday night, but he logged a season-low 14:25 of ice time and spent much of the third period on the bench. He is one of just three Bruins who have played in all 54 of the team’s games this season, with winger Loui Eriksson and center Ryan Spooner also achieving that feat.
“With the situation that it was, it was probably better for him to minimize his ice time,” Julien said Thursday in a postgame interview with NESN’s Jack Edwards and Andy Brickley. “We know how much he plays and how hard he plays, so we just managed his ice time here. Hopefully, that’s just a ding like we’re suspecting, but we’ll see as we move forward here.”
The Bruins have gone 3-1-1 since the All-Star break and are in the midst of a season-long six-game road trip.
Thumbnail photo via Bruce Fedyck/USA TODAY Sports Images
