Krug and Acciari take another step forward
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Following their thrilling shootout victory over the Washington Capitals Sunday afternoon, the Boston Bruins took the ice for another training camp session Monday morning at Warrior Ice Arena.
The Bruins received a boost of confidence during practice, as Torey Krug and Noel Acciari, who both did not suit up for Sunday’s contest, returned to the ice and participated in drills for the first time since their injuries.
“It was good to see them get out there and participate in some of the drills,” Bruins assistant coach Joe Sacco said. “Their timeline hasn’t changed but it’s good to see them participate in some non-contact drills and hopefully they keep progressing the way they are.”
“It was good. Just to get the timing back, participate in some drills and be out there with the guys was a lot of fun,” Krug said about his first skate with his teammates. “It felt good. It is kind of the same as last week, just stay on course with our plan and our schedule and do the same thing.”
Krug suffered an ankle injury that proved to be costly during Boston’s playoff run, while Acciari was plagued with a sports hernia that caused him to miss 22 games.
The former Michigan State Spartan admitted that rehabbing this summer was a long process and that he was in a walking boot a little bit longer than he had anticipated. However, Krug is starting to get to the point where he feels comfortable on the ice.
Getting both skaters healthy by the start of the regular season is of the utmost importance for the Bruins, as Krug was Boston’s most productive defenseman with 59 points (12 goals, 45 assists) a season ago and Acciari manned an extremely defensive-minded fourth line of forwards.
Krug and Acciari were seen putting in extra skating work well before the session began and both seemed to be well on their way to working themselves back into the lineup.
“Feels good to be back with the group and be more in practice form so we are taking a good step there. It’s night and day how I felt last year and how I feel now,” Acciari said about recovering from a sports hernia. “I’m excited for the season and right now getting back with these guys and practice for a little bit felt really good.”
Although both Acciari and Krug stated that they felt comfortable, they were limited to only 20 minutes of drills with the team; something that is expected to be routine over the next few days of camp.
“I’ll probably do this for another day or so and then take it day by day,” Krug said about his future training camp plans.
Neither Krug nor Acciari have a definitive timetable for returning. Both skaters are confident and hopeful that they will be able to suit up for at least one of Boston’s final preseason games in order to adjust to “game speed.”
“I’m on track right now to maybe get a game in preseason but will definitely be ready by the start of the season,” said Acciari, a Providence College alum. “I want to continue how our line last year had a good stretch of being a tough line to play against. Getting matched up against top lines and being able to shut them down and give our top two lines a chance to rest a little bit here and there.”