Boston Bruins star center Patrice Bergeron missed Game 1 of the team’s first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the visiting Florida Panthers on Monday night with an illness.
Bergeron had a bug that was reportedly going around the Bruins’ locker room ahead of the start of the postseason and was a game-time decision before being scratched. Pavel Zacha moved up to Boston’s top-line center spot.
Goaltender Linus Ullmark, who was also a game-time decision due to illness, got the start between the pipes for the Bruins, who are setting out to capitalize on the best regular-season showing in NHL history (65 wins, 135 points).
In 78 games this season, Bergeron posted 58 points (27 goals, 31 assists) and passed the career 1,000-point mark early in the campaign. He is a five-time winner of the Selke Trophy for the NHL forward who excels most on defense.
–Field Level Media
