Before the Bruins returned to the ice for the third period of Thursday’s eventual 3-0 over Minnesota, Bruce Cassidy carved out some time to speak with Kevan Miller.
A regular on the blue line noted for his trademark snarl and bone-crunching hits, Miller has more often than not found himself on the wrong side of the punishment he regularly doles out this season — missing 42 games so far due to a variety of ailments, including a fractured hand and a damaged larynx.
Finally cleared to return to game action on Sunday after an upper-body injury sidelined him for over a month, it seems fitting — given Miller’s luck this season — for him to once again feel the sting of the injury bug during a game as inconsequential as Thursday’s matchup in Minnesota.
And yet, speaking with Cassidy ahead of the final period of play, Miller wanted to come back in and give it a go.
Still needing to shake off the rust after his latest stint on the shelf, Miller was on pace to log over 20 minutes of ice time on Thursday — leading all Bruins in TOI following the first 20 minutes of play.
But just 20 seconds into the second frame, Miller’s leg bore the brunt of a collision into the corner after racing for a loose puck with Wild winger Jordan Greenway.
Even after needing help from the Bruins’ medical staff to make his way off the ice, Miller still found himself back on Boston’s bench in the closing minutes of the second — setting the stage for a potential return in the final period after a strong start to the night for the veteran (61.90 Corsi For Percentage, 3-1 edge in scoring chances generated).
But Cassidy was quick to put an end to any talk of a hasty return.
“We had a conversation,” Cassidy said. “He wanted to come back and try it. If he's not 100 percent, now you're really susceptible to injury. He's just missed too much time. Not that important a game, so I think we all came to the right choice.”
As Cassidy noted, Thursday’s win really doesn’t factor too much into the grand scheme of things. With home ice against the Toronto Maple Leafs already secured, the Bruins didn’t have much to play for other than the obvious points on the board — with Cassidy opting to rest a number of regulars like
Brad Marchand, David Krejci
and
Zdeno Chara
for the night.
And even with rest and health taking a priority over points over the final days of the 2018-19 campaign, the Bruins once again found themselves in an all-too-familiar spot — potentially losing a starting defenseman just ahead of a playoff run.
Such has been the case over the last two seasons, and unfortunately, both involved the same player in
Brandon Carlo
. After his rookie year in 2016-17 came to an end after he was concussed by
Alex Ovechkin
in Boston’s regular-season finale, Carlo was once again denied a chance to play postseason hockey in 2017-18 — with the defenseman suffering a fractured ankle less than two weeks away from the playoffs. The loss of a big body and top penalty-killer like Carlo proved fatal last spring, as Tamp Bay picked apart Boston's limping D corps on the way to a series win in the Eastern Conference Semifinals over the span of five games.
Luckily, it appears as though Miller’s ailment is much less serious than Carlo's previous injuries.
“Lower body (injury),” Cassidy said. “Went into the boards awkwardly. … The discussion for us — if he tries to play through it, he's a little bit uncomfortable. Let's try to get him for Saturday’s (regular-season finale). He's missed a lot of time. That's the plan, which is great, because it's not long term.
“You never know when you go into the boards like that. Especially with the luck he's had this year. He should be back in Saturday, assuming tomorrow he wakes up and there's not too much stiffness."
So, for now, it appears as though the Bruins have dodged a bullet when it comes to Miller.
Out of any area in Boston’s roster, defense might be where Boston can take the most hits and stay afloat. Had Miller been forced to miss some extended time, his minutes would have likely fallen to
Connor Clifton.
His baseline stats may not jump out (one assist over 17 games), but Clifton who has been tremendously efficient when it comes to keeping the puck out of the net during his shifts — ranking first among all Bruins players with a minuscule goals-against per 60 minutes rate of 0.86.
Still, the loss of Miller would be a tough blow for the Bruins, who are still without
John Moore
for an undetermined amount of time due to an upper-body injury. A physical defenseman like Miller offers plenty of value in a grueling postseason series, while his contributions on the penalty kill (1:46 shorthanded TOI a night) will come in handy against a Maple Leafs power play that ranks eighth in the NHL with a 21.9 percent success rate.
