BRIGHTON, Mass. -- When Taylor Hall suffered an upper-body injury against the Philadelphia Flyers, it looked as if he wouldn't be ready for Boston Bruins opening night.
But the forward was not about to let that happen.
Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said he was learning quickly just how tough Hall was and how he was "pushing it" in order to not be "week-to-week." Well, he certainly pushed it and was practicing in a regular jersey Monday at Warrior Ice Arena.
Montgomery said over the weekend that he wasn't sure if Hall would be ready for Oct. 12 against the Washington Capitals, but we got some clarity from Hall during media day.
"I feel good," Hall said at Warrior Ice Arena on Monday. "On track to play on Wednesday. I don't know it was an injury that was pretty painful at the start and then got better really quickly and I was able to start skating. If this happens middle of the season, I don't if I miss maybe one game, maybe zero. We're just trying to be cautious, but yeah, ready to play on Wednesday."
Having Hall ready to go is a boost to the Bruins and is crucial to the offense. He skated with Patrice Bergeron and Jake DeBrusk on the top line during Monday's practice and very well could start the season there after the Czech line of Pavel Zacha, David Krejci and David Pastrnak showed incredible chemistry in the final two preseason games.
As for Matt Grzelcyk, who underwent shoulder surgery in the offseason, it's still unclear what his timeline is. We know the defenseman is "ahead of schedule" when it comes to his recovery and he's been skating in a regular sweater during practice. While it's still unclear what his status is to begin the season, general manager Don Sweeney confirmed that Grzelcyk will not start the season on long-term injured reserve.
The Bruins drop the puck on their 2022-23 season Wednesday night. Puck drop from Capital One Arena is set for 7 p.m. ET. The game will air on TNT but NESN will air an hour of pre and postgame coverage.
