With the long regular season finally over, a new challenge has appeared for sixteen teams. The Stanley Cup playoffs represent one of the toughest grinds in all of professional sports, where intensity and physical play is increased and players are expected to skate through injuries. That said, some of the teams will start the postseason nursing injuries to some of their biggest stars, while others will welcome them back into the fold after a short rest. Here are some injury updates from around the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
- The Ottawa Senators will welcome back Erik Karlsson and Zack Smith for game one of their series against the Boston Bruins, GM Pierre Dorion confirmed today. The team may also get Marc Methot back into the lineup, less than three weeks since his finger was “shattered” by a Sidney Crosby slash. Inserting those three into the lineup will give the Senators a huge boost at both ends of the ice, as they continue to try and play their shutdown style.
- The Bruins on the other hand will be without Torey Krug for the entire first round, and miss Brandon Carlo for at least game one. The team signed and activated Charlie McAvoy earlier today to replace them, though losing Krug for the whole round is a devastating blow. Whether McAvoy makes an immediate impact or not, Krug has been the Bruins’ best puck-moving defenseman this year and will be sorely missed. Carlo on the other hand has looked like a veteran this year while paired with Zdeno Chara, making up for some of the captain’s decline in effectiveness. The team will also be without Noel Acciari for game one according to Amalie Benjamin of NHL.com.
- Montreal welcomed back an important face to practice today, as Shea Weber rejoined the team in a regular jersey and is expected to play in the first game of their series against the New York Rangers. Weber hasn’t played since March 1st, but will be a huge part of a Canadiens blue line trying to slow down the high-powered Rangers. While technically Montreal is the much higher seed, the Rangers finished with just one fewer point than them in the standings and should be considered at least even odds going into the series. Montreal needs all hands on deck to brush off what has been a roller coaster season and find some success in the playoffs this year.