Bruins Practice Report: Krejci Misses Practice Again; Kuhlman In His Spot

After being sent home with a fever just prior to the Boston Bruins’ intrasquad scrimmage Thursday, Bruins center David Krejci was missing from practice Saturday at TD Garden. Head coach Bruce Cassidy indicated it was the same illness that kept the historically strong playoff scorer out of the scrimmage that had him home on Saturday.

The hope is that he will be healthy enough for the team’s final practice before the Bruins host the St. Louis Blues in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday night at TD Garden.

“Precautionary. I suspect we’ll see him tomorrow,” Cassidy told the media Saturday. “That is the plan. If he’s not out tomorrow, now there’s a little bit of worry there. But right now, I believe he’ll be practicing tomorrow.”

Losing Krejci for any amount of time would be a potentially huge blow to the Bruins offense and how their power play works too. Krejci – who has scored eight career game-winners in the playoffs – is third in points (4g, 10 a) and second in assists for the B’s in the playoffs.

David Krejci, who scored the series-clinching goal against Columbus, is tied for 3rd in #NHLBruins history with 8 career playoff game-winning goals.

— Shawn Hutcheon (@ShawnHutcheon) May 25, 2019

Not to bring up a bad memory, but one can never forget what happened to the Bruins in 2010 when in the second round, with the Bruins about to go up 3-0 in the series against the Flyers, Krejci suffered a broken wrist. The Bruins won the game but eventually blew the 3-0 lead and lost the series in seven games. The following season, Krejci played all 25 games in the 2011 Stanley Cup run for Boston and led all playoff players in goals with 12 lamplighters and points with 23. Then in 2013, Krejci was even better leading the playoffs in assists with 17 helpers and points with 26 as the Bruins fell two games short of another Stanley Cup.

Rookie Karson Kuhlman skated in the second center slot with Jake DeBrusk and David Backes.

Here’s how the B’s looked in their penultimate practice before the Stanley Cup Final:

Marchand – Bergeron – Pastrnak

DeBrusk – Kuhlman – Backes

Johansson – Coyle – Heinen

Nordstrom – Kuraly – Acciari

Chara – McAvoy

Krug – Carlo

Grzelcyk – Clifton

Moore – Kampfer

Rask

Halak