The Stanley Cup playoffs are fast approaching and it’s fair to wonder whether the Bruins will begin to rest some key players.
Boston already is down Nick Foligno and Taylor Hall and it’s unclear when either will return. David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron were bloodied last week against the Edmonton Oilers and Brad Marchand received stitches for a cut from a skate before banging his knee against the Buffalo Sabres.
The Bruins have been relatively healthy this season. They’ve dealt with injuries throughout the lineup, including Jake DeBrusk, but they continued to find ways to win and hold on until their lineup was fully healthy again.
With a comfortable 13-point lead over the Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL standings, it would make sense for the Bruins to rest some players — a plan head coach Jim Montgomery said will happen over their final 20 games.
“We’re starting to look into days off, not only in communication with (Bergeron and Krejci) but also with some other players that might be having some aches and bruises,” Montgomery told reporters after Monday’s practice. “It’s about scheduling and when we could maximize days off for them and decrease the amount of volume that they are on the ice. We’re probably not looking at starting that this weekend, but probably on that road trip.”
Both Krejci and Bergeron didn’t practice Monday morning after receiving what Montgomery called the “senior citizen discount.”
The Bruins have four days off between games so that will allow for some extra rest before they welcome the Edmonton Oilers to TD Garden on Thursday. They’ll play the next two games at home before embarking on a five-game road trip, and between travel and kicking off the trip with a back-to-back, it may be the perfect time to incorporate some rest.
