Bruins’ Patrice Bergeron late scratch for Game 4 with upper-body injury

TORONTO — Boston Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron was ruled out of Thursday’s playoff game against the Toronto Maple Leafs with an upper-body injury.

The team made the surprise announcement minutes before warmup of Game 4, while adding he’s day-to-day.

The 32-year-old showed no signs that he would be out of the lineup as he spoke with media earlier in the day in the Bruins’ locker room.

“We’re approaching this game like we have from the start of the series,” Bergeron said hours before puck drop. “Give it everything we have tonight.”

Bergeron has five assists through the first three games of Boston’s first-round matchup against the Leafs, which the Bruins lead 2-1.

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Centre Riley Nash replaced Bergeron on the top line alongside wingers Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak.

At Wednesday’s off-day practice Nash took some line rushes alongside Marchand and Pastrnak, however head coach Bruce Cassidy said Thursday when asked that it wasn’t for any specific reason.

“We’re just managing (Bergeron) a little bit that’s all,” said Cassidy. “Riley’s played there during the year. We’re just playing around with things… I guess that’s all there is to it.”

Bergeron was also nominated as a finalist for the Selke Trophy on Thursday for the seventh season in a row. It’s given annually to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game.

He’s the only active player to win the award four times, taking home the trophy in 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2017.

Bergeron missed 13 games from Feb. 27 through March 23 with a lower-body injury. He finished the regular season with 30 goals and 33 assists for 63 points with 26 penalty minutes and a plus-21 rating in 64 games.

Kyle Cicerella, The Canadian Press