Bruins' Chiarelli: Savard improved

Boston Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli said Monday that Marc Savard was doing better after being taken off the ice in the third period of Sunday's loss to Pittsburgh at Mellon Arena.

Savard suffered a head injury after being checked -- shoulder to head -- by Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke with 5:37 remaining in Sunday's game in Pittsburgh. Savard suffered a Grade 2 concussion on the hit, it was announced Monday, and there is currently no timetable for his return to the ice.

"He's OK to fly, so he went back to Boston from Pittsburgh today," Chiarelli said. "He told me he is very tired and still has a really bad headache."

Chiarelli admitted that he had flashbacks to the injury suffered by Patrice Bergeron two years ago when he was checked heavily into the boards by Randy Jones, then a member of the Philadelphia Flyers. Bergeron suffered a Grade 3 concussion and a broken nose on the play and missed almost a full season as he recuperated from post-concussion syndrome.

Chiarelli spoke to Savard after the game Sunday and was reassured, at least temporarily, that Savard's injury was not as severe as the one suffered by Bergeron a little more than two years ago.

"I talked to Savvy after the game and he was quite groggy, but it wasn't anywhere close to Bergeron," Chiarelli said.

As for Cooke, he could be facing supplementary discipline for the hit -- even though he was not penalized on the play. Colin Campbell, NHL senior vice president and director of hockey operations, said Monday that he would look at the hit and rule before the Penguins' next game Thursday night in Carolina.

"I have talked to Colie," Pittsburgh GM Ray Shero told NHL Live! "Colie will spend more of this afternoon looking at the hit and what the criteria is and I'm sure I'll be in touch with him later today or tomorrow.

"It's a bit concerning. Matt is a repeat offender by the laws of the NHL. I talked to Matt after the game and he was really despondent. He was really worried about Marc Savard. Colie has a tough job. These are not easy decisions."

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