Krejci (maintenance) among the missing from B’s practice

BRIGHTON, Mass – Zdeno Chara, David Krejci and Steve Kampfer all missed Sunday’s practice as the Bruins kick off a week-plus of preparation ahead of the Stanley Cup Final, but both Chara and Kampfer skated ahead of practice at Warrior Ice Arena.

Krejci was given a maintenance day after the Bruins had both Friday and Saturday off the ice completely, but it still sounds like all three will be good to go once the Stanley Cup Final gets underway against either St. Louis or San Jose.

“It’s a maintenance day for [Krejci], so he should be out there tomorrow. Chara and Kampfer skated before practice, so we’ll see if they get integrated [on Monday],” said Bruce Cassidy. “We’ve kind of set it up so that I don’t believe we’re going to skate on Tuesday. Zee might get back on Wednesday, but I don’t want to push it. He’s a workhorse and we want to get him there as quickly as possible. I suspect they will all be back out there on Wednesday.”

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It’s a much less rosy picture for Kevan Miller (knee) and Chris Wagner (right arm), who aren’t looking like the Cup Final is going to be a possibility. Wagner suffered what looked like a significant injury blocking a Justin Faulk shot in the Game 3 over the Hurricanes in Carolina, but Miller hasn’t been able to suit up for even a single playoff game after battling a slew of injuries that limited him to just 39 games played this season.

It’s a difficult situation that hits hard with a good, team-first D-man like the 31-year-old Miller that’s always been a good teammate during his career with the Bruins.

“I feel terrible for him,” said Cassidy. “He’s had a tough year with the injuries.”

Clearly the 10 days off between the conference final and Stanley Cup Final are going to give the Bruins an opportunity to be as healthy as they’ve been through this entire postseason, and that’s something they have already begun taking full advantage of this weekend. Rookies Urho Vaakanainen, Jakub Zboril and Zane McIntyre were all members of the B’s practice as part of the Black Aces crew for the B’s during these playoffs.