Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci are important leaders for the Bruins, and they appear to be trending in the right direction.
The latter was a late scratch for Game 3 due to an upper-body injury, but Boston stepped up without its key players and got back to playing its own brand of hockey in a 4-2 win over the Florida Panthers at FLA Live Arena.
The Bruins are up 2-1 in the best-of-seven first-round series, and while Krejci's absence forces head coach Jim Montgomery to get more creative with his lines, his presence is a vital one for the B's Stanley Cup hopes.
The Black and Gold held an optional skate Saturday, and Krejci was not among the six forwards who took to the ice -- the session included the bottom-six forwards and six of eight defenseman. Montgomery told reporters the veteran was "questionable" for Game 4 on Sunday, per team-provided video. He said after Friday's win Krejci was "50-50."
Bergeron did not travel with the team to Florida, and he likely is to make his 2023 Stanley Cup playoff debut in Game 5 when the series comes back to Boston. Montgomery told reporters the Bruins captain is on track to meet that timeline.
The 37-year-old kept himself busy while recovering at home by texting assistant coach Chris Kelly his observations and other Xs and Os details for the team to use. The gesture was emblematic to the kind of leader Bergeron is, but the B's also would like to see his value on the ice, as well.
Puck drop for Game 4 is scheduled at 3:30 p.m. ET, and you can catch all the action on NESN, including an hour of pregame coverage.
