B's Lineup in Question Ahead of Ottawa Tilt

BOSTON- Patrice Bergeron missed Wednesday morning's practice with an illness, but should be good to go on Thursday night in Ottawa, according to Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy.
"He was under the weather all day [Tuesday], played through it," said Cassidy. "We just wanted to give him the morning to get him some rest. He said he was not 100 percent yesterday and managed to get his way through it."
Bergeron played 17 minutes, 43 seconds against the Devils on Tuesday night and potted Boston's second goal with a power-play tally from the high slot off a feed from Brad Marchand.

"I think any time off for him away from the rink, get some rest, will be good for him," added Cassidy. "I believe he will be ready to go tomorrow unless there is a setback, obviously."
There are some questions marks surrounding Boston's lineup for the tilt with the Senators, as Noel Acciari also missed practice as he battles through a lower-body injury. The Bruins, meanwhile, will be without Marchand, who was suspended five games by the NHL's Department of Player Safety for an elbow on New Jersey's Marcus Johansson on Tuesday night.
Should Bergeron or Acciari not be able to play in Ottawa, the Bruins may have to make a roster move.
"We'll have to consider that. I believe Bergy will play, that's my assumption," said Cassidy. "The Marchy thing, I guess, we've got to prepare accordingly for the worst. With Noel, we hope he is ready to go, but if not, then we'll look to Providence.
"Probably, the next question is who would that be? That's an internal conversation that we'll have to have - probably a winger off the top of my head if it's Marchy and Noel that are the issues, because, like I said, I believe Bergy will play."

Marchand Suspended

The National Hockey League's Department of Player Safety announced on Wednesday that Marchand would be suspended after the elbow on Johansson that went uncalled during the third period of the B's 3-2 victory.
Marchand has been fined or suspended seven previous times, including a two-game suspension last season for spearing Tampa Bay's Jake Dotchin.

Defensive Posture

With Charlie McAvoy sidelined as he recovers from his ablation procedure, Boston debuted its new - but old - defense pairings in Tuesday's win over the Devils. Brandon Carlo was reunited with Zdeno Chara, a duo that formed one of the better shutdown pairings in the league last season. Adam McQuaid was also back with longtime partner Torey Krug, while Kevan Miller rejoined Matt Grzelcyk after missing three games with an illness.
"I thought they got better as the game went on," Cassidy said of his D-pairs. "We've pinpointed from Day 1, we want to get better at [moving the puck] and improve, every guy back there. Make sure we're clean. Losing Charlie hurts because that's maybe his greatest strength is his ability to move the puck under pressure, so that is something we're going to have to get better at."
Cassidy said he plans to stick with the same pairings against the Senators on Thursday night.

McAvoy on the Mend

Cassidy texted with McAvoy on Tuesday and was planning to give the rookie defenseman a call on Wednesday afternoon to check in. Boston's bench boss said McAvoy was "feeling much better, feeling good about everything."
"When we first heard the news, it's your heart, so it's a little more than another - I don't know if injury is the right word," said Cassidy. "I think everyone was a little bit concerned at first, and even the procedure, you never know. But it went very well, and Charlie should come out of it as good as he went into it."

Opposing View

The Bruins will meet the Senators for the third of four meetings this season on Thursday night. Boston one the previous two meetings - both during the final week of December - by scores of 5-0 and 5-1.
Ottawa has lost four in a row and five of its last six, including a 3-0 shutout at the hands of the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night. The Senators are 15-22-9 (39 points) and sit in the second-to-place spot in the Eastern Conference.
Mark Stone leads the Senators with 44 points (18 goals, 26 assists) in 44 games, while defenseman Erik Karlsson sits second with 31 points (4 goals, 27 assists).

By The Numbers

• According to NHL PR, Patrice Bergeron became the fourth player in Bruins history to reach the 20-goal mark in nine different seasons, joining Johnny Bucyk (16), Rick Middleton (10), and Ray Bourque.
• Also according to NHL PR, Tuukka Rask is the seventh goalie in Bruins history to record at least one point in 17 consecutive decisions. The others: Gerry Cheevers (32 in 1971-72); Pete Peeters (31 in 1982-83); Frank Brimsek (23 in 1940-41); Ron Grahame (18 in 1978); Tiny Thompson (17 in 1930); and Gilles Gilbert (17 in 1975-76).