Bruins lose top scorer Bergeron to concussion

Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron skates across the ice after scoring his third goal of the game against the Ottawa Senators in the third period of their NHL hockey game in Boston, Massachusetts January 11, 2011.

BOSTON (Reuters) - Boston Bruins top scorer Patrice Bergeron suffered a concussion from an open-ice hit during his team's series-clinching game against the Philadelphia Flyers, the team said on Saturday.

Bergeron left Friday's game after being hit by the Flyers' Claude Giroux early in the third period and did not return as the Bruins advanced to the NHL's Eastern Conference final for the first time since 1992.

"Patrice suffered a mild concussion last evening, Bruins general manager Peter Chiarelli told reporters on Saturday.

"He went into the quiet room after being hit, was assessed by our doctors, took the NHL modified SCAT 2 test and he was deemed unable to return."

Bergeron, who has a history of concussions, emerged as one of Boston's top players in the playoffs and leads the team with 12 points in 11 games.

He will have to go through standard testing and protocol to determine when he can return to action but Chiarelli said it was a fair assumption that Bergeron would miss the start of the next series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

"What I am told is that the concussion is mild. I have not heard about him today .. when I spoke with him after the game, he was a little despondent, but he was quite lucid to me," said Chiarelli. "But he was despondent having suffered another concussion."

Chiarelli said there was a good chance rookie Tyler Seguin, the second overall pick in last year's NHL Draft, will be added to the lineup for the start of the next series.

Seguin, who has not seen any action in the playoffs, had 11 goals and 11 assists in 74 regular season games for Boston.

(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Julian Linden)