Boston Bruins and Florida Panthers both missing star players ahead of playoff matchup
On the eve of the Stanley Cup playoffs many teams are either choosing to give some of their star players a maintenance day or they're sitting to give themselves one more day in order to be ready when their number is called.
Sasha Barkov who dealt with an injury earlier this season was noticeably absent from the Florida Panthers skate Sunday ahead of their game one match against the top ranked Boston Bruins and while it's may be a case of having him fully healthy in time for puck drop, one can draw their own conclusions.
Boston, who also took the ice this morning was without goaltender Jeremy Swayman and captain Patrice Bergeron. When pressed about the duo's absence General Manager Don Sweeney mentioned that Bergeron was taking <
Bergeron was also feeling a bit under the weather according to the GM. Swayman was also absent due to illness.
I'm of the opinion that when it comes to playoffs, it's all hands-on deck and a player missing a practice to nurse and injury or illness isn't just appropriate but necessary. While the Bruins broke the record for the most wins in a season during the regular season, the games that truly matter start now.
| POLL | ||
Do players missing practices ahead of playoffs concern you? | ||
| Yes. They should be practicing | 20 | 10.6 % |
| No. Let them have a maintenance day | 169 | 89.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
