Bruins Provide Injury Updates at Breakup Day

BOSTON - The sheer intensity and physicality of the Stanley Cup Playoffs can take a toll on players' bodies, leading many of them to play through injuries in a quest for hockey's holy grail. This year was no exception - particularly for the Boston Bruins.

At the team's breakup day on Wednesday at Warrior Ice Arena, many of the ailments were revealed, including defenseman Torey Krug, who disclosed that he suffered a fractured left ankle in Game 4 vs. Tampa Bay.
"The speed and how I went into the boards, I thought that, for sure, it was going to be something pretty ugly, and, obviously, it was," Krug said. "It's just tough, tough timing, especially for them to score right after, and then they win the game. It was just tough all around."

Krug's injury occurred late in the game when a collision with Lightning forward Alex Killorn resulted in an awkward feet-first spill into the corner boards. Rather than stay down on the ice, the competitive defenseman managed to get to his feet to remain in the play until he could get back to the bench.
"To be honest, I was hoping I just had a sprained ankle or something and I'd be able to go off for a shift and come back out there, but it was pretty obvious that that wasn't going to be the case," said Krug. "You just try to get up and get off the ice. My dad always told me, 'Don't lay on the ice and let people pick you up.' So [I] just kept going."
The Livonia, Michigan native currently requires crutches and has a boot on his foot for the next two months. The positive news is that the injury will not require surgery, and he is expected to be ready for the start of training camp in September.
Here's a rundown of the other injuries:

Noel Acciari

The fourth-liner told reporters that he played with a sports hernia from mid-November through the playoffs and will require surgery during the offseason.

David Backes

The veteran winger took a high hit from Lightning forward J.T. Miller in Game 5 and needed assistance getting back to the dressing room after staying down on the ice for several minutes. Backes did not return following the check to his chin area, which may have left him with a concussion.
"I haven't seen the chart, but [a concussion] would be my guess," said Backes. "It's never great to have a brain injury, but it's part of what we do, and I think with time to recover and not be forced into a game in short order, or have competitive injury is the best case for me to get back to full health and be ready to start next season."

Anders Bjork

The rookie winger did not play after Jan. 30 following a cross-check from Anaheim Ducks' defenseman Francois Beauchemin that left him with a shoulder injury. Bjork underwent a left shoulder arthroscopy and labral repair on Feb. 20 and said he expects to be ready for training camp.
"Kind of a bummer and a tough way to end the season, for sure," said Bjork. "I guess it happens, and it was definitely an opportunity to grow from that and move on and become a better player and also a better person. I think that's what I've been trying to do for sure.
"It feels better. I can feel it getting stronger…it gives me a lot of hope, for sure."

Brandon Carlo

The second-year defenseman, who suffered a broken fibula vs. the Florida Panthers on March 31, was in good spirits as he gave an optimistic update regarding his recovery.
"It's going great," Carlo said. "I feel fantastic. Once I start walking in another week, then we'll build our way up from there."
Despite the smooth start to recovery, dealing with this injury has been especially difficult for Carlo, who was forced to miss the playoffs for the second straight year due to late-season injuries.
"To be honest, I wouldn't say that I was completely over it at any point," he said. "I wouldn't say the frustration aspect…where I wanted to be out on the ice so bad that I could barely stand it, sitting here and watching games and things like that. I tried my best to silence the negative and trying to learn from those games, which I felt I could do a lot.
"I was learning from them, but overall, being the second year in a row, it felt like déjà vu in a certain aspect, and it was pretty disappointing."
Carlo said that he "absolutely" will be ready for the start of training camp.

Patrice Bergeron

Bergeron, who missed Game 4 of the first round versus Toronto, said that he was experiencing concussion-like symptoms - which may have been attributed to an illness he was battling at the same time - at the time and decided to err on the side of caution. He was dealing with a nagging groin issue for the rest of the playoffs.
The veteran center is no stranger to playing through injuries, and he discussed the adversity that teams face in the playoffs.
"I think we all know that there's a lot of things going on, and it's a long year, and playoffs are the same thing," he said. "Guys are battling through hard things, but we're not different than any other team, whether it's us or the four teams remaining right now, but everyone's kind of dealing with some issues.
"And that's just the way it is, you know? It's not always easy, but it tells you a lot about character, for sure."

Zdeno Chara

Team Captain Zdeno Chara did not reveal a specific injury, but said that he had been dealing with an upper-body injury. The 41-year-old veteran refused to use injuries as an excuse for the team's second-round exit.
"We all play through different things," Chara said. "I'm not going to be making excuses or talking about injuries. We all play through some bumps and bruises…this time I just want to, obviously, take the time to heal and be [as] close to 100 percent as possible."

Jake DeBrusk

Rookie Jake DeBrusk's six goals tied him for the team lead during the playoffs, and he scored most of them with an injured shoulder. The 21-year-old revealed on Wednesday that he suffered an injury in his playoffs debut, and then it worsened in the second round.
DeBrusk said that he "was doing OK, got through it" in the first round, but was "banged up" again in Games 1 and 3 vs. Tampa Bay, resulting in an AC joint sprain.
"It was something I had to learn to go through," said DeBrusk. "I played lots of playoffs growing up, but not at this level, especially with that amount of pain. "It felt like I couldn't really do too, too much out there, but at the same time, I wasn't getting out of the lineup. I believed I could help the team win.
"It just kind of sucks that we couldn't pull it through, but at the same time, it was a good learning experience for me to understand what the guys go through, because I'm not the only one, for sure."

Brad Marchand

Marchand said that he dealt with a groin injury for the last four to six games of the playoffs, but will not require surgery. No. 63 praised the Lightning for their physical style of play during their series.
"They came out hard," said Marchand. "They played a lot more physical than they did at any point during the season when we played them…they brought it, and you've got to give them a lot of credit."

Riley Nash

Nash confirmed that he suffered a concussion when he took a slap shot to the side of the head during the final week of the regular season. The third-line center also told reporters that he was dealing with a hip injury that he hopes does not require surgery.

Tuukka Rask

The B's netminder told reporters that he will require a procedure to drain a bursa on his ankle.