The Boston Bruins (2-1-0) should get a nice boost for their home opener tomorrow night against New Jersey, as center Patrice Bergeron is “on track” to make his season debut, according to head coach Claude Julien.
“We’re hoping he’ll be in the lineup,” said Julien.
Bergeron missed Boston’s first three games with a lower-body injury. Today, he practiced on the Bruins’ top line between wingers Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak.
David Backes, meanwhile, dropped down to play right wing on the second line with veteran center David Krejci and 21-year-old Danton Heinen.
#NHLBruins practice groups:
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) October 19, 2016
Marchand—Bergeron—Pastrnak
Heinen—Krejci—Backes
Beleskey—Nash—Czarnik—Hayes
Spooner—Moore—Schaller—Acciari
Backes, the Bruins’ big free-agent addition, centered Marchand and Pastrnak in Bergeron’s absence, and Backes, Marchand, and Pastrnak were very productive together.
But according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Julien said there was no chance that he’d break up Bergeron and Marchand, who’ve played almost exclusively together since Marchand’s rookie season in 2010-11, the year the B’s won the Stanley Cup.