Bruins lose 2d forward
David Krejci suffered a dislocated wrist after a big hit by the Flyers' Mike Richards.
It's likely the pound of flesh Flyers captain Mike Richards took from the Bruins won't make an ounce of difference in the eventual outcome of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Yet there's little doubt Boston's chance of advancing to the Stanley Cup final was diminished by Richards' crushing center-ice hit on talented center David Krejci in the Bruins' 4-1 win Wednesday.
A few hours following the win that gave the Bruins a three-games-to-none lead in the series, Krejci had surgery to repair a dislocated right wrist. He will miss the remainder of the playoffs.
The Bruins are now without two of their top six forwards. They lost Marco Sturm on the first shift of Game 1 when he suffered torn ligaments in his right knee.
"It's tough news. He's a great player," Bruins center Marc Savard said Thursday. "He's been a huge part of the success we've had so far. It's the same thing when Marco went down. He's a huge part of our team, so we have to just keep finding ways."
Krejci, 24, who played for the Czech Republic in the Vancouver Olympics, had two goals and two assists in the series and eight points (4-4) overall in the post-season.
Bruins coach Claude Julien said he hadn't made a decision on who would take Krejci's spot on the roster. If he chooses a center, there's a good chance it'll be Trent Whitfield. If he goes with a winger, Brad Marchand is a candidate. Neither has appeared in the playoffs this season.
The Satan-Krejci-Lucic line has been the Bruins' most effective against the Flyers, combining for 11 points on five goals and six assists. Krejci assisted on Lucic's goal late in the third period of Game 2 that gave Boston a 3-2 win.
The Bruins are also likely to be without rookie defenseman Adam McQuaid for Friday's Game 4 at the Wachovia Center. McQuaid suffered a leg injury. Julien said there's a chance hard-hitting defenseman Mark Stuart could be cleared to play Friday.