DeBrusk, Bergeron among list of Bruins players battling injuries

When Torey Krug slid awkwardly into the boards in Game 5 against the Tampa Bay Lighting, the short-term outlook for the Bruins defenseman was not good. He left the game on crutches, his left ankle enclosed in a walking boot.

Krug confirmed Wednesday that he would not have returned for the postseason had the Bruins advanced. He fractured his left ankle, an injury that is expected to keep him from any physical activity for approximately two months.

“It’s frustrating for me,” Krug said. “It’ll be about two months and then I’ll start my normal training stuff. I’ll be patient with it and make sure it heals fully.”

The Bruins season came to an abrupt end when they were overmatched by the Lightning in the second round of the playoffs. There was a feeling that the Bruins, a team that far exceeded the expectations that were on the horizon back in October, could have made an extended run at the Stanley Cup.

Had they, in fact, made it through to the Eastern Conference Finals, a smattering of Bruins players would have been trying to work through injuries that either lingered throughout the season or were sustained in the playoffs.

The rundown:

Jake DeBrusk

It was clear DeBrusk, who emerged as one of the Bruins' top forwards in the first round against Toronto, wasn’t himself against the Lightning.

DeBrusk injured his shoulder in Game 1 against the Maple Leafs, then hurt it again in the second round in Game 1. He injured it again in Game 3, and the final diagnosis was a sprained AC joint that will likely take a month of rest to recover from.

“I’ve played a lot of playoffs growing up, but not at this level and in this type of pain,” DeBrusk said. “At the same time, I wasn’t getting out of the lineup and believed I could still help the team win. It was a good learning experience for me to realize what these guys go through.”

The DeBrusk injury stands out as one of the more impactful one for the Bruins. He found his stride this season on the second line with David Krejci and Rick Nash and a big draw was DeBrusk’s ability to be physical with the puck to compliment Krejci’s speed, and that ability was limited in the second round.

He had six goals and two assists in the first eight games of the playoffs, and no points after that. DeBrusk scored a goal in Game 1 against the Lightning, which was when he reinjured the shoulder, and that was the end of his postseason production.

Patrice Bergeron

Back in the first round, Bergeron was surprisingly scratched before Game 4. He revealed he had concussion-like symptoms and that the team played it safe because of his concussion history.

Bergeron was able to return the next game, but the more serious injury that nagged him was the one in his groin. He injured it at the end of training camp and it was a recurring issue at various points of the season.

“It felt a lot better most of the season, but flared up in the playoffs,” Bergeron said.

The Bruins center is hopeful that it will feel better in two to three weeks, but if it does not, surgery is an option.

This must have been a serious issue with surgery as an option the entire season because he missed a month in March with a broken foot. A run-of-the-mill groin injury would have healed in that time.

David Backes: Never returned to Game 5 after he received a crushing hit from J.T. Miller. Backes said he never needed the actual diagnosis to know he had a concussion because of his history, which included a concussion last season in his first with the Bruins.

Backes said a return against the Lightning was probably not likely had the series gone seven games, but he likely could have returned in the Eastern Conference Finals.

“Good moments, other moments (feeling) not so great,” Backes said. “It’s good to have time to recover and not be rushed into a game.”

Miller delivered a high-impact hit on Backes that sent the forward to the ice for a few minutes. He couldn’t get off the ice without the help of his teammates, but had no qualms with the nature of the hit.

“I haven’t dissected it,” Backes said. “I know my chin is sore. I don’t know that it’s malicious by any means. Was the hit one we want out of the game, I don’t know if it’s true. Would I rather have a sore chest than a sore chin? Yes, but it’s a fast game.”

Brad Marchand: Said he played through a groin injury in the final "four-to-six" games against the Maple Leafs and Lightning, but won’t require surgery.

Noel Acciari: played most of the season with a sports hernia that will require offseason surgery.

Zdeno Chara: Said he played with a shoulder injury.

Riley Nash: Missed a handful of games at the end of the season and returned in Game 3 of the first round. He struggled in the playoffs after having a breakout season, but said he also sustained a concussion in addition to the laceration on his ear after he was hit by a deflected shot March 31. He also has a hip injury that he is hoping to avoid needing surgery for.

“I don’t know if I was just a half-second slow, a whole second slow,” Nash said. “In this league, it’s a killer and I was a little off there. I tried to battle through and play on.”