Times wires
Saturday, May 7, 2011
WILMINGTON, Mass. — Patrice Bergeron, the Bruins' top playoff scorer, is expected to miss one or two games of the Eastern Conference final against the Lightning with what the team called a mild concussion.
General manager Peter Chiarelli said Saturday that it was "a safe assumption" Bergeron would miss at least a game, depending on when the series starts. The final can begin as early as Tuesday or as late as Saturday. The schedule will be determined once the West semifinals end.
Bergeron has two goals and 10 assists in the postseason. His 12 points are tied for second in the league with a group that includes the Lightning's Vinny Lecavalier and Steve Downie, and are one behind leader Marty St. Louis of the Lightning.
Bergeron was hurt in the third period Friday on a hit by Claude Giroux and didn't return to the Bruins' 5-1 win that completed a sweep of the Flyers.
This is Bergeron's third documented concussion. He missed the last 72 games of the 2007-08 regular season and the playoffs with one and 15 games in 2008-09 with another.
"When I spoke with him after the game, he was a little despondent," Chiarelli said, "but he was quite lucid, to me."
Bergeron's likely replacement would be Tyler Seguin, the No. 2 overall draft pick last year. Seguin was a healthy scratch in the first 11 playoff games. He had 11 goals and 22 points in 74 games this season.
Predators hold off elimination in West
VANCOUVER — Joel Ward scored two goals less than five minutes apart early in the third period and the Predators stayed alive against the Canucks with a 4-3 win in Game 5 of their West semifinal.
David Legwand also scored twice, Pekka Rinne made 29 saves and Ward had three points for Nashville, which trails the best-of-seven series three games to two. The Predators, in the second round for the first time, won for the first time when facing elimination. They had been 0-5.
"This is our biggest game so far in Predator history," Rinne said. "We did a great job … and at the end showed a lot of character."
Ryan Kesler, who had his face stitched up after he was struck by a deflected puck, scored his second goal of the game with 3:46 left. Kesler has five goals in three games.
"It's frustrating," captain Henrik Sedin said. "We battled hard. … It could have gone either way."
| Predators | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Canucks | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
First Period—1, Nashville, Legwand 4 (Ward), 3:42 (sh). 2, Vancouver, Torres 1 (Hansen, Hamhuis), 5:59. 3, Vancouver, Kesler 4 (Raymond, Higgins), 15:06. Penalties—Kostitsyn, Nas (holding stick), 3:31.
Second Period—4, Nashville, Legwand 5, :51. Penalties—Vancouver bench, served by Torres (too many men), 7:22; Legwand, Nas (cross-checking), 16:04; Ehrhoff, Van (roughing), 16:04.
Third Period—5, Nashville, Ward 6 (Fisher), 1:14. 6, Nashville, Ward 7 (Tootoo), 5:45. 7, Vancouver, Kesler 5 (Edler, Torres), 16:14. Penalties—Fisher, Nas (roughing), 9:11; Ehrhoff, Van (roughing), 9:11; O'Brien, Nas (holding), 10:35. Shots on Goal—Nashville 5-8-10—23. Vancouver 12-8-14—34. Power-play opportunities—Nashville 0 of 1; Vancouver 0 of 2. Goalies—Nashville, Rinne 6-5-0 (34 shots-31 saves). Vancouver, Luongo 7-5-0 (23-19). A—18,860 (18,810).