Bergeron scores in the very 1st period after a 16 game absence.

He's back baby!

On Saturday afternoon the Boston Bruins were facing off against the Nashville Predators and all eyes in Boston were on star center Patrice Bergeron who made his long awaited return after a 16 game absence due to injury, and what a return it proved to be. There were a lot of eyes on the Bruins top two lines on Saturday due to the fact that head coach Bruce Cassidy had made some adjustments including moving Danton Heinen up to the wing alongside Bergeron on the team's top line. Obviously after such a long lay off fans in Boston were excited to see how the natural chemistry between Bergeron and line mate Brad Marchand would play out. 

It was not long before the Bruins top line found the back of the net either, but a great deal of the credit on this play has to go to the returning Bergeron himself. It's unclear if it was a deliberate attempt at a pass or a failed point shot from Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy that put the puck on the stick of the streaking Bergeron, but somehow Bergeron found himself all alone in front of the Predators net while holding the puck. Bergeron continued the momentum of his stride after gaining control of the puck but a very nifty spin move fooled Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne and gave Bergeron a goal just roughly 15 minutes after his return to the ice. 

Of course you have to credit linemate Brad Marchand with a bit of an assist on this play as well, although his contributions here certainly will not be found on any score sheet. The blown coverage that allowed Bergeron to be so free in front of Rinne was due to the fact that Marchand was being given the business along the boards, likely after having gotten under the skin of yet another opposing player. It gave Bergeron a wide open space to work with in front of the Predators net and really does serve to show the value of a player as, to put it bluntly, annoying as Marchand on your organizations top line. 

Here's the video replay courtesy of our good friends over at Sportsnet. 

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