After the Boston Bruins lost Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals to the Chicago Blackhawks, several Boston beat writers tried to console Bruins fans by telling them it is unlikely the team would have been healthy enough to win Game 7. The latest news surrounding Patrice Bergeron has me inclined to believe them.
After the Bruins were eliminated, Bergeron revealed that he played through a trio of injuries that included a broken rib. On Wednesday, Boston GM Peter Chiarelli added that Bergeron has been in the hospital since Monday night and has a ‘small hole in his lung.’ According to CSNNE.com’s Joe Haggerty, Chiarelli clarified that the puncture must have happened after the game because Bergeron would not have been able to play through it.
If that’s the case, that would seem to indicate the man who the Bruins refer to as the heart and soul of their team would not have been available for Game 7. That would have been a major obstacle for Boston to overcome, especially on the road.
Chiarelli also confirmed that Nathan Horton will need surgery to repair the chronic shoulder separation problem he had been dealing with since the end of the regular season. Zdeno Chara was also dealing with a “very bad” hip flexor and Dennis Seidenberg was battling a painful hamstring issue that felt “like a knife” in addition to a bone spur in his right elbow. Joe McDonald added that Jaromir Jagr hurt his head in Game 6.
To be clear, I’m not making excuses for the Bruins. Everyone is injured in the NHL playoffs, and the Blackhawks were undoubtedly battling through a plethora of injuries as well. A healthy Blackhawks team could beat a healthy Bruins team at home anyway, and they certainly didn’t need help. The point is it sounds like Boston had no chance. The loss was heartbreaking, but a win may have been delaying the inevitable.
