Apr 30, 2018; Tampa, FL, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller (86) skates during the first period in game two of the second round of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
By Ty Anderson, 985TheSportsHub.com
Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller will not be able for the start of the team’s third-round series against the Hurricanes, but B’s general manager Don Sweeney knows that every Boston victory opens the door ever so slightly for the third-pairing staple.
So much so that Sweeney doesn’t want to completely rule the 6-foot-2 defender out for the series just yet.
“Kevan’s made some progress, so we’re hopeful,” Sweeney, who noted that there’s nothing definitive with Miller just yet, said in a pre-series press conference with reporters. “He’s got some tests, some benchmarks he has to before he gets back on the ice, but he’s made some progress. So, we told him all along, the further we play, the more he has an opportunity to continue to work and get back in there. Hopefully, we give him that opportunity.”
Injured in the team’s Apr. 4 win over the Wild, Miller’s injury has been labeled a lower-body ailment, and has left with a week-to-week designation from the Bruins. It was just the latest setback in an undeniably injury-plagued 2018-19 campaign for the hard-hitting Miller, with the 31-year-old missing 43 regular-season games and all 13 postseason tilts to date.
While they wait for Miller, though, it’s possible that John Moore (out of action with an upper-body ailment re-aggravated in the team’s Game 6 win over the Maple Leafs on Apr. 23) could draw back into action if necessary.
“John’s available,” Sweeney said of Moore. “He’s just dealing with stuff that makes it hard, but he’s available.”
The Bruins will take whatever they can get out of the backend this series, especially with Charlie McAvoy suspended for Game 1 for an illegal check to the head of Josh Anderson in Boston’s closeout Game 6 win over the Blue Jackets.