WILMINGTON -- Even after the pretty-bad-at-best sounds of 3 Doors Down were turned down, there was still some sort of music in the Bruins’ dressing room Friday at Ristuccia Arena. It wasn’t singing, as resident front-man Mark Stuart was dealt away nearly two months ago. It wasn’t even one of the younger players “spitting” a favorite rap verse. Instead, it was percussion -- knocking on wood, to be exact. The musician? Dennis Seidenberg, and for good reason. 

After all, who could have predicted before the season that the German defenseman would be one of just three Bruins to have played in every game this season?

Remember, going into this season, his eighth in the NHL, the oft-injured, oft-traded Seidenberg had played 65 or more games just twice. Now, only he, Zdeno Chara and Mark Recchi have played in each of the Bruins’ first 80 contests, and Seidenberg is looking at the possibility of his first 82-game season.

“Knock on wood. It's not there yet,” Seidenberg said, giving his wooden locker in the corner of the Bruins’ dressing room three knocks. “Playing 82 games means I was lucky to start the season without getting injured, but every time you play 82 games you can just be thankful that you didn't get hurt and that you're going to the playoffs healthy and as prepared as possible.”

Truth be told, Seidenberg ultimately “couldn’t care less” about whether he plays the full 82-game schedule. If he gets a day off during the Bruins’ regular-season-ending weekend, he’ll have no complaints. He’s happy to have his health, which his career has taught him not to take for granted. 

In the 2003-04 season, Seidenberg broke his leg playing for the Flyers, when it “totally snapped” and “went 90 degrees the other way.” The injury caused him to miss 14 weeks in a season in which he played just five regular-season games in the NHL (33 in the AHL). He considers that his worst injury, though he has been nagged by plenty of other ones throughout his career. He got to 63 games in the 2005-06 season, though he followed it up with 52 and 47 games in his next two seasons, respectively. He notched his first two seasons of 70 or more games over the last two campaigns, though a lacerated tendon in his forearm kept him out for the playoffs last season. 

“It was annoying,” Seidenberg said of last season's injury. “I hate watching it. Just watching from up top, everything looks so easy, and you're the best player that has ever played the game when you watch from up top, so hopefully we all stay healthy this time.”

In a season that has seen more of Seidenberg than ever, his number of games played is not the only thing that’s higher than usual. The 29-year-old has career-highs in goals (seven), average time on ice (23:33) and is a point away from tying his career-best 32 points, a total he reached a season ago. That being said, the first season of Seidenberg’s four-year, $13 million contract extension has not been perfect. He’s stepped up when needed (seven games with at least 27 minutes of ice time) but he still feels there’s more he could have accomplished. His plus-4 rating on the season is 14th among Bruins currently on the roster.  

“I don't think [statistical accomplishments] really satisfy me because I know I could have played a lot better,” he said. “The season's not over yet, but I know I could have played a lot better at certain spots throughout the season, but that leaves me room for improvement for the next few years and for the playoffs. Everybody wants to play well in the playoffs, and once I do that, I'll think it was a successful season.”

His coach shares the same line of thinking. Seidenberg’s performance may not have jumped off the page (except for this goal-of-the-year candidate back in December), but the Bruins, despite never having him in their playoff lineup, know what he can do in the postseason. After all, Seidenberg was a member of the Carolina team that ended the Bruins’ run in the second round in 2009. 

“I think he's had a decent year,” Claude Julien said of his defenseman. “He's a guy that at times has had some tough games, but Dennis has always been known to be a big-game player, and that's what his makeup is all about. We saw it first-hand when he played against us with Carolina. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see that last year in the playoffs. This year, these playoffs, hopefully he shows us that.”

For now, Seidenberg is simply knocking on wood. He doesn’t want to watch playoff hockey from the press box, and he certainly doesn’t want to watch it on television. In a season that – history be damned – has featured no limitations, he hopes the same can go for a lengthy postseason run. Eighty-two may just be a number to him, and one he doesn’t really care about. Playing enough to notch 16 wins beginning next week is a different story. 

“Either or,” he said of whether he’d like to rest or get to 82 this weekend. “I feel good right now. I feel like I've got jump in my step and my skating, and if they want to rest me, they can rest me. If I play, I'm ready for the playoffs.

“We can get a lot sharper. If you've seen the last couple of games, we weren't as sharp as we've wanted to be. Our passes weren't sharp. There's definitely a lot to get better at and a lot to get sharp at, but we've got these two games to straighten that stuff out, and another couple of days of practice. Hopefully by then we'll be ready”.