BRIGHTON, Mass – The Bruins got bad news on a couple of injured players as Kevan Miller (knee) has had a setback in his attempt to return for the Stanley Cup Final and Chris Wagner (right arm) doesn’t look as if he'll be back either.
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney addressed the media on Saturday morning at Warrior Ice Arena, as he’s done prior to every playoff series, and said Zdeno Chara is trending to be ready for Game 1, he mentioned the word “setback” with Miller as he attempts to return from a knee injury that’s kept him out for the entire postseason.
“We’ve got some time to evaluate where guys will be,” said Sweeney, referencing the 10-day layoff between the conference final and the Stanley Cup Final. “I don’t expect [Miller] to be ready to play. I’ll be really surprised if [Wagner] will be ready to play, but we’ll see where that goes.”
While Miller has worked out with the Bruins and been with the team on their playoff journey, he really hasn’t been anywhere close to returning at any point in the playoffs with multiple setbacks following his late-season injury.
Wagner left Carolina after blocking a Justin Faulk point blast in the waning moments of Game 3 and was transported to Boston midweek for subsequent testing and treatment. At this time of year, NHL teams tend to be secretive and vague about injuries, and it honestly would be a surprise to see either back for the Stanley Cup Final even with the nearly two-week layoff between playoff rounds.
Noel Acciari and Connor Clifton have stepped up and played well filling in for the injured players and the Bruins haven’t missed much of a beat as they ready for a chance at their second Stanley Cup title since 2011.
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