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After completing a two-day, team-building retreat in Stowe, Vt., the Boston Bruins returned to the practice ice Tuesday in Waterbury, Vt.

Both David Krejci (back spasms) and Carl Soderberg (ankle) missed practice. Bruins coach Claude Julien told reporters Soderberg is doubtful for the season opener against the Tampa Bay Lightning Thursday at TD Garden. Krejci is expected to practice on Wednesday.

“We’re hoping to see David on the ice [Wednesday],” Julien told reporters. “We’re optimistic about that. Soderberg, again, he’s just being evaluated. There’s some swelling, so we don’t know exactly until that swelling goes down a little bit more. He’s a little bit longer and I would say doubtful for Thursday, highly doubtful. David, we’re optimistic things are going to go well for him.”

Krejci missed the preseason finale last Friday against the Winnipeg Jets, while Soderberg’s skate caught a rut in the ice during the game, resulting in his injury.

Julien also announced Krejci has been named the team’s second assistant captain and will share the "A" with teammate Chris Kelly.

BOSTON -- After missing Saturday’s preseason finale due to back spasms, Bruins forward David Krejci did not participate in Sunday’s practice at TD Garden.

Teammate Carl Soderberg also missed practice with an undisclosed injury.

“Right now I would say day-to-day,” Julien said after practice regarding Krejci's status. “Maybe as we move forward it might be better. To be honest with you, Krecj, I think it might be better. With Carl, I’m not sure yet, because the injury was suffered when he hit a rut the other night. It’s still up in the air as far as the seriousness of it. So we had first deemed it minor now it’s questionable.”

Prior to Sunday’s practice, the team announced it had waived forward Nick Johnson in hopes he would clear and could be assigned to Providence of the AHL. Johnson played well during training camp and the exhibition season, but there simply wasn’t enough room on the roster.

“It’s not an easy conversation, no doubt,” Julien said. “It’s one of those things that those kind of players understand. The little bit of time I’ve got to know him, he’s a real quality person, and in his mind he says, ‘I’m going to keep working hard because I have a feeling I’m going to be back here this year.’ So there’s confidence in his voice and determination and that’s what you want to hear. So I know he’s disappointed and you would hope he’s disappointed, but at the same time he seemed to have the right attitude to work his way back here.”

BOSTON -- Bruins forward Carl Soderberg is competing for a roster spot during training camp and he's hoping the brief contributions he made last spring will help his cause.

He arrived at camp in great shape and wants to prove he can help the Bruins. After he signed with Boston late last season, and transferred to the NHL from the Swedish Elite League, Soderberg played only six regular-season and two playoff games. Now, getting a fresh start at camp, he believes it will help his chances at earning a roster spot.

"Of course it's pretty nice to be here at the beginning of training camp, but the 11 weeks I had here last season meant so much to me," Soderberg said. "I got to know the guys and the staff, the game in the NHL, too. I had a good workout summer and I came back in good shape."

When Bruins forward Gregory Campbell suffered a broken right leg in the Eastern Conference finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Bruins coach Claude Julien was forced to tweak his lineup. At first, he inserted Kaspars Daugavins into the lineup, but in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals against the Chicago Blackhawks, Soderberg made his NHL playoff debut.

"It was a great experience," he said. "I got to play games in the NHL and it means a lot to me. I'm new here but I don't feel that new."

A natural centerman, Soderberg can play the wing, too. Even though he's been working as a center in the first two days of camp, he'll play any position in order to stay in the lineup.

"It depends what [Julien] wants to do," Soderberg said. "I can play winger or I can play center, it doesn't matter."

Bruins newcomer Loui Eriksson played against Soderberg in the SEL.

"He's a pretty strong player. He's pretty big and he can use his size over here. He has a good shot and he's pretty dangerous," Eriksson said.

At the end of last season, Julien admitted he didn't see enough of Soderberg to give an honest evaluation, but he's been impressed in the early going of training camp.

"He's looking good," Julien said. "He's lost weight but he's also gained some muscle. He was already a strong player to start with. I think he's looking good. When you see him in those battle drills, he's pretty strong on the puck and we like that about him. He's got a good skill level, he can shoot the puck well and make plays so he'll get a great opportunity in those preseason games to showcase himself and show the improvement."

* Only two days into camp, newcomer Jarome Iginla already appears comfortable playing with David Krejci and Milan Lucic.

"I've enjoyed it the last couple of days getting to skate with them," Iginla said. "They are great players and have great chemistry together. I'd like to play with them and help them out. As far as building chemistry, it's just time together and getting used to tendencies."

Once the exhibition games begin, it will give the Bruins' top line a chance to showcase its complete skill and there's no reason not to think that trio will have a major impact this season.

* Julien isn't ready to single out any of the young players just yet as to which one has stood out in the first two days of camp. Both he and GM Peter Chiarelli told the group of prospects during rookie camp that there are a few roster spots available for the taking. When asked who has impressed him the most so far, Julien said he's pleased with what he's seeing from all of them.

"There's a lot of them. There's nobody that is kind of on his own but there are a lot of good players who are showing some good things here," Julien said. "I think those kind of answers to me get answered during those preseason games because you've got some players that, going out would look great in practice but get them in a game situation they're really good players. And then you get the opposite, guys that are fine in practice, look great and you think, 'Wow, I can't wait to see them in a game' and the game starts and he becomes invisible or nothing gets accomplished. So you get those kind of players so to me, I'm careful about assessing players before I see them in a real game or a game type situation."

One player who has been really impressive has been forward Reilly Smith. He was one of the three prospects acquired from the Dallas Stars as part of the Tyler Seguin trade.

"Getting traded was obviously mixed emotions," Smith said. "It pretty much came out of left field. I wasn't expecting it at all going into this summer to be traded. I found out on Twitter, actually, so that was kind of funny. But it's a big difference coming from Dallas to Boston. There are higher expectations here."

The first two days Smith has been on the line with Chris Kelly and Jordan Caron.

* Set your DVRs because the second episode of the new all-access "Behind the B" series will air on Oct. 1 at 8 p.m. on NESN.

With a 3-1 loss in Game 5 on Saturday night, the Bruins fell behind 3-2 in the Stanley Cup finals and now will have to stave off elimination in Game 6 on Monday at TD Garden. Here are five takeaways from Game 5:

Can the Bruins win the Stanley Cup without Patrice Bergeron? Give the Bruins plenty of credit; they did not fold after falling behind 2-0 and losing arguably their MVP as well as a leader in Bergeron. Bergeron suffered an undisclosed injury prior to Patrick Kane's scoring his second goal to make it 2-0 5:13 into the second period. The Bruins regrouped and held the fort strong for the remainder of the middle frame, and then cut the lead to 2-1 on captain Zdeno Chara's third goal of the playoffs 3:40 into the third. But that lead, and the absence of the player who is arguably a co-captain (not just alternate) with Chara and their best all-around player, plus a revitalized Blackhawks team seemed to be just too much for the resilient Bruins. With the news that Bergeron was taken to a local hospital for observation, I tweeted during the third period, "No Bergeron = No Cup" for the Bruins, and I believe that to be the case. Yes, the Blackhawks lost Jonathan Toews in the third period, but he remained on the bench and wasn't taken by ambulance to a hospital. And yes, Bruins coach Claude Julien said there was no update on Bergeron and he might play in Game 6, but if that's not the case and even if Toews doesn't play, this scribe believes the Bruins cannot win two straight elimination games without Bergeron. If not for Tuukka Rask, Bergeron very well could be the Conn Smythe winner if the Bruins were to win the Cup. He is the heartbeat of the Bruins and the player who can provide anything in any situation in which Julien needs him. The Bruins might force a Game 7 because they're that resilient, but without Bergeron, they will not win the 2013 Stanley Cup.

CLICK HERE to read colleague Joe McDonald's column on Bergeron.


Just a reminder that Chara is still Chara: Heading into Game 5, the Blackhawks openly bragged that they were not intimidated by Chara and knew how to beat him. After showing that in Game 4, with Chara finishing at minus-3, they did so to an extent in Game 5, as the captain was minus-2 and struggled for much of the first two periods. But Chara wasn't about to roll over, and in the third period, he came out flying, hitting anything in sight and scoring the Bruins' lone goal. While his defensive game might not have been up to his usual standards in the past two games, he still has a goal and two assists in those two games. Let's be realists here: Chara is human, and like anyone else, he can wear down when playing the minutes he has been playing. But he is still one of the hardest workers in the NHL, and he showed that again in Game 5.

Rask and Crawford bounce back: Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask and Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford were the subject of scrutiny by media and fans alike heading into Game 5 after questionable performances in the Blackhawks' 6-5 Game 4 win. But as they have on so many occasions during the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs, the two netminders and Conn Smythe candidates bounced back in Game 5. Rask finished with 29 saves and really couldn't be blamed for either of the two goals he allowed to Kane. As Rask did in Game 4 -- even when allowing six goals -- he kept his team in the game and gave it a chance to win Game 5. He stopped all 12 shots he faced in the third period as the Bruins tried to come back and potentially tie the game. Rask was the least of the Bruins' problems, and the Bruins had some costly defensive lapses in front in Game 5. Meanwhile, Crawford once again silenced the doubters, with a 24-save performance and the win. He was especially big in the opening period as the Bruins outshot the Blackhawks 11-8 but still trailed 1-0 after the first. He is now 15-7 with a 1.83 goals-against average and .932 save percentage as well as being one win from the Stanley Cup.

Faceoffs a difference again: As they have been throughout this series, faceoffs were a crucial factor in Game 5. Even though the Blackhawks were beat on the faceoff dot 39-38 in Game 4, they were a much different team after being dominated in faceoffs in the previous two games. In Game 5, the Hawks actually won the faceoff battle 33-24, and it helped them take a 3-2 series lead. When their skilled players have the puck more, chances are they will score or at least create scoring opportunities more often, and that was the case in Game 5. The Bruins clearly missed their faceoff master after Bergeron left the game injured. They will need to step up as a team at the dot to prevent the Blackhawks from utilizing their offensive skill.

Soderberg not a bad choice: Julien did some line shuffling for Game 5, replacing Kaspars Daugavins with Carl Soderberg on the fourth line with Shawn Thornton and Rich Peverley. The Swedish forward made his coach look pretty smart. Soderberg had some solid chances early on thanks to some strong skating and forechecking. And thanks to his efforts, he found himself taking Bergeron's spot between Jaromir Jagr and Brad Marchand on the second line. Soderberg couldn't seize a regular spot in his six regular-season games, but after a solid 14:16 of ice time in Game 5, he definitely will have Julien thinking about playing him again in Game 6, especially if Bergeron doesn't play.

After skating with the Bruins' fourth line at practice Friday, Carl Soderberg is in the lineup for Saturday's Game 5.

Soderberg replaces Kaspars Daugavins for the Bruins.

Game 5 will be Soderberg's first playoff appearance for the Bruins. He hasn't seen game action since April 28, and played just six regular-season games.

CHICAGO -- Boston Bruins coach Claude Julien was noncommittal as to whether he would make a lineup change for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday at United Center.

Based on the Bruins' morning skate, it appears forward Kaspars Daugavins will remain in the lineup on the fourth line, which means Carl Soderberg would remain a healthy scratch. Julien raised some suspicion during Friday's practice when he had Soderberg playing on that line with Shawn Thornton and Rich Peverley.

The coach was asked after Saturday's morning skate why he's been tinkering with that line since the team lost Gregory Campbell due to a broken right fibula.

"Why? Because I'm the coach and because I can," Julien said with a smile. "You guys ask me why I make those changes. I didn't spend three days thinking about that. It's a situation that I can do. If I do that tonight, we'll see where it goes. I may just go back to Daugavins, because again I'm tinkering between those two like I have from the beginning of the series."

If Julien does decide to go with Soderberg, who played only six games for the Bruins during the regular season after he arrived in Boston at the conclusion of his season in Sweden, Julien hasn't seen enough of the forward to make an assessment on his play.

"I haven't seen him that much," Julien said. "He's only played a few games and that's probably the main reason he's hasn't played in the playoffs is we went with some experienced players. Injuries have forced us to kind of look elsewhere, and that's the injury to Gregory Campbell. So Daugavins, we've looked at Carl Soderberg, Jordan Caron and there's Jay Pandolfo. So there's situations there that we can look at. We're trying to find the best fit possible.

"I have to look at whether I feel comfortable staying with Daugavins, or it's been between Soderberg and Daugavins. But they're two different players. Size-wise they're different. One is obviously real gritty along the walls, and the other one is probably more of a playmaker. So, there's a difference there and that's where I have to make my decision what I feel I may need tonight."

That line played less than six minutes in Game 4. With the little amount he's played this series, Daugavins is happy with his game.

"I've played fine," he said. "I did the little things right, but maybe didn't create enough offense as I wanted to. Defensively, our game was pretty solid on our line. I was finishing my checks and shooting the puck on net. I was keeping it simple."

Being on the bench for the majority of the game also has its challenges.

"It's more nerve-racking sitting on the bench than being on the ice," Daugavins said. "When you go out there you go into game mode; you don't even think about it, you just do it. Your instincts come in and you play. When you sit on the bench and watch, you're a super fan. You cheer for the guys and you get nervous when the puck is close to your net and you pull your hair when there's a good scoring chance. It's definitely more nerve-racking sitting on the bench than playing."

CHICAGO -- It’s not known at this point whether Boston Bruins coach Claude Julien will tweak his lineup for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night at United Center, but he did have forward Carl Soderberg skating with the team’s fourth line during practice on Friday in Boston.

After Gregory Campbell was lost for the remainder of the season with a broken right fibula, Julien has had to change his bottom two lines for the finals. While the third unit of Daniel Paille, Chris Kelly and Tyler Seguin has been effective, fourth-liners Kaspars Daugavins, Rich Peverley and Shawn Thornton haven’t seen a lot of ice time.

“Obviously, I was on that line but I haven’t talked to coach yet, so I don’t know what’s happening [Saturday],” Soderberg said. “I’ve been practicing for a long time now, so I feel ready. I’m a big guy and can protect the puck. I can get it deep and go from there.”

Since arriving in Boston late in the season after completing the year with his Swedish Elite League team, the 6-foot-3, 198-pound forward played only six games for the Bruins during the regular season and posted two assists, including a minus-2.

"I’ve been here for 11 weeks now. I’m getting to know the system a lot. I haven’t played games in a while, but if I’m playing [Saturday], I think it’s gone well. I know everything.”

If Soderberg does replace Daugavins in the lineup, the Bruins have confidence in any player on the roster.

“We’ll see what the changes are going to be like,” said Bruins captain Zdeno Chara. “We have to wait and see, but we have confidence in every player we have.”

Since he’s been a healthy scratch the entire Stanley Cup playoffs, Soderberg has been enjoying the journey.

“It’s amazing to be here,” Soderberg said. “I love being here in Boston. Of course I want to play, but I haven’t done that yet. Hopefully tomorrow.”

BOSTON -- Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand will return to the lineup for the Bruins tonight, providing a much-needed boost for a squad that has lost its last two games and has been under scrutiny for its recent play. But there will be no Carl Soderberg in the lineup tonight, and that may not be such a bad thing for the Bruins and Soderberg.

Coach Claude Julien said that even though there are only six regular-season games left after tonight’s tilt with the Sabres at TD Garden, the Bruins don’t want to rush the Swedish star’s acclimation to the NHL.

“He’ll do the warm-up tonight. He just [got] in last night and he’ll get a chance to practice with us tomorrow,” said Julien. “It’s as much for him as it is for us. There’s a change in time, and there’s the fatigue of travel and everything else. Not knowing much about our system, he’s going to have a chance to watch tonight -- and see some things. Hopefully he sees the right things.

"I think it’s to his benefit and to our benefit for him to sit and watch. It’s better than just throwing him out there and watching him ad-libbing. He’s a big, strong guy that’s a good skater. I saw some good things. We put him on the power play there at the end of practice to see how he handled the puck. We like what we see from him.”

The Bruins will also do their best to make sure Soderberg knows immediately that he is part of the Bruins family both on and off the ice. The core of this team has done a great job of that in the past, specifically when Chris Kelly, Rich Peverley and Tomas Kaberle arrived at the 2011 NHL trade deadline and became key parts of the team's Stanley Cup run. While Kelly didn’t have to make quite as much of a transition coming from Ottawa as an NHL veteran, the welcome he received from his new teammates then was crucial to him, Peverley and Kaberle filtering into the culture of the team.

“It was a bit of transition for me, too,” Kelly said. “But the guys here are very accepting and they made Kaberle, Rich and myself feel very comfortable when we arrived, and that has continued and will continue for whomever becomes part of this team,” Kelly said.

Kelly realizes that it is now his job as a Bruin to do the same for Soderberg.

“I think it’s our job to make him feel as comfortable as possible,” said the Bruins alternate captain. “It’s a huge jump and transition, not only on-ice but off-ice. Swedes normally speak English very well so that won’t be a problem, but just the culture. We need to make it as normal as possible for him and make sure he feels comfortable in this room and knows we’re here for him and he’s part of this team now.”

As for Soderberg, he seemed comfortable already on Wednesday morning and was only uncertain about adjusting to the smaller NHL rinks.

“I don’t know [about the adjustment to North American ice surfaces]. We’ll have to see,” he said in his first Boston media scrum.

But he had nothing but praise for his new team.

“Great team,” said Soderberg. “They work hard, and they’re big players.”

Swedish star forward Carl Soderberg signed a three-year contract with the Boston Bruins on Saturday, the team announced.

Soderberg will join the team Wednesday, and has an annual cap hit of $1 million.

Soderberg previously had reached an agreement with Boston on Tuesday, but was blocked from joining the team by the Swedish Ice Hockey Federation.

According to a source, the NHL had five days to consider the rejection and any arguments that came with it. The NHL could still disagree and say the release is proper per their rules and register the contract despite the Swedes' position.

"We are fortunate to get a player like Carl at this stage of the season," Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli said in a release. "I would like to thank the President of the Linkoping hockey club, Mike Helber and their GM, Johan Hemlin, in playing a significant part in allowing Carl to play for the Boston Bruins. Carl is a big, strong, two-way center who can also play wing. We look forward to him joining our team this week."

Soderberg had his best season yet in the Swedish Elite League -- 31 goals and 60 points in 54 games. Bruins president Cam Neely had said he planned on giving the 27-year-old a shot to prove himself in the NHL this season and potentially play a role in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Neely said he likes Soderberg's skill set, though he has never seen him play in person and was unsure how quickly he would pick up the American game, which is played with more physicality and on smaller ice surfaces than European hockey.

"He's played against men in the Swedish Elite League and has had success doing it," Neely said. "It's just a matter of getting adjusted to the North American style -- bigger ice surface, less contact [in Europe]. But he's a big body. He protects the puck well. He skates well. He's got a good shot. But we have to temper this a little bit if he does get over here based on getting adjusted to this style of game."

Soderberg was selected 49th overall in the second round of the 2004 NHL entry draft. He has played the past two seasons with Linkoping after playing the previous four in Malmo.

Information from ESPNBoston.com's James Murphy was used in this report.

Prospect Carl Soderberg and the Bruins have agreed to a contract and are awaiting for his transfer to be finalized by the Swedish Ice Hockey Association, with Bruins president Cam Neely saying Tuesday that “things were looking good.”

Should the approval happen and Soderberg joins the Bruins for the stretch run of the regular season and the Stanley Cup playoffs next month, it should be a huge addition as the 27-year-old, 6-foot-3, 210-pound forward lit up the Swedish Elite League this season with 31 goals and 60 points in 54 games.

While Soderberg will need to adjust to the NHL faster than he normally would with the season winding down, one NHL scout who saw him play this season believes Soderberg’s skill level is so high that if he uses his size to adapt to the physical rigors of the NHL, he will be able to fit in just fine.

“This guy is the real deal,” the scout said. “He’s big, talented and versatile. He’ll help Boston for sure.”

“Versatile” is the key word for the Bruins, who already are deep at center and, according to Neely, are planning to put Soderberg -- a natural center -- on the wing when he arrives in Boston.

"I think we'd like to try him on the wing first and see if he's comfortable there," Neely said Tuesday afternoon on Boston sports radio station 98.5 the Sports Hub. "Obviously, playing center at this level is not as easy as it may appear, with coverage down low and both corners. Understanding that part of the game takes some time. Who knows how quick a study he'll be?"

Neely also sounded optimistic about the return of center Patrice Bergeron, who has been out after suffering a concussion, but would not commit to a timetable.

If and when Bergeron returns, it would make sense for Soderberg to play the wing. But whom would he play with? If Bergeron returns, one imagines that coach Claude Julien would put him between his normal linemates Brad Marchand and Tyler Seguin, who with Bergeron have been the Bruins’ most consistent line this season. But then again, Jaromir Jagr and Marchand seem to be forming some chemistry, as witnessed by Jagr assisting on both of Marchand’s goals in the Bruins’ 6-2 win over the Hurricanes on Monday night. But let's presume Julien reunites his best line this season. Where would that leave the offensive-minded Soderberg?

It won’t be a bad problem for Julien to have, but he may end up sitting some players. If Bergeron and Soderberg are both in the lineup, here’s how this scribe would have the forward lines set up:

Jagr-David Krejci-Nathan Horton
Marchand-Bergeron-Seguin
Soderberg-Chris Kelly-Milan Lucic
Daniel Paille-Gregory Campbell-Rich Peverley

While I believe Shawn Thornton provides a huge spark both on the ice and in the dressing room -- as witnessed when he entered the lineup in Game 3 of the 2011 Stanley Cup finals and got the Bruins going in the right direction with physical play in the opening minutes of the game -- the Bruins have been struggling offensively for most of the season and need as much skill as possible. If the fourth line isn’t working, Julien can always throw Thornton or Jordan Caron back in there.

But no matter how Julien shuffles his lines and uses his new offensive weapons in Jagr and Soderberg, it will be up to them and the rest of the Bruins to execute better than they have for the last month. As Julien has pointed out numerous times, their play has been “uncharacteristic” of the Bruins teams he has coached in recent seasons and even in the first two months of this season. Yes, their schedule became demanding in March and April, but every team has had to deal with similar issues so they can’t keep leaning on that as an excuse.

Soderberg will help, just as Jagr already has, but like Jagr, he is not a savior. That saving grace will need to be found from within every member of the Bruins.

According to Darren Dreger of TSN, the Bruins are in talks with prospect Carl Soderberg to bring the Swedish forward over once his season ends with Linkoping in the Swedish Elite League.

Boston acquired Soderberg from the St. Louis Blues in July 2007 for goalie Hannu Toivonen, but Soderberg has yet to play a game in North America or attend a Bruins training camp. Soderberg, 27, has developed into one of the best players in Sweden. He leads the SEL in scoring this season with 31 goals and 60 points in 54 games.

According to Dreger, if Soderberg was to join the Bruins later this season, he would not have to pass through waivers.