No Patrice Bergeron, no problem
The Bruins earned a 3-1 Game 1 win over the Panthers on Monday night from T.D. Garden.
They also picked up the win without captain Patrice Bergeron who missed the game with a “bug” that’s been reportedly going through the Bruins locker room.
Despite not playing, Bergeron was around his teammates all day. His presence meant a lot to the team as they began the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
“He was around all day, talked to us before the game, watching here in the room, he’s such a presence, and you can tell how bad he wants to be out there, how bad he wants to be in the mix, he’s such a boost to the team,” teammate Jake DeBrusk said to reporters. “We wanted to do it for him, it was a main goal at the start of the year.”
The Bruins didn’t play their best game to begin the season but played good enough to win.
Head coach Jim Montgomery said that nerves played a factor for some of his players. The roar and intensity of the crowd “surprised” his players.
“Definitely. I think everyone was nervous. I was nervous. I’m sure a lot of guys were. This is what we’ve been building all year,” said Brad Marchand.
“It’s only normal for guys to feel that way. But it’s nervous excitement, too. It’s a chance for us to build on what we’ve done all year and trust the process,” added Marchand.
David Pastrnak got the scoring started from a beautiful no look pass from Tyler Bertuzzi on the power play. The Bruins also got goals from Jake DeBrusk who made it 2-0 and Marchand put the cherry on top giving the Bruins a 3-1 lead.
It’s unknown whether Bergeron will play on Wednesday for Game 2. If the veteran leader isn’t able to suit up, it’s going to be a guarantee that he will be around the team in a similar capacity like he was during Game 1.
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