By Nancy Marrapese-Burrell

The decision has been made, which brings some level of comfort, but it will be a long road for Bruins left wing Sergei Samsonov.

Samsonov will undergo surgery on his right wrist Tuesday and is expected to be sidelined until April.

''It's good and bad, I guess,'' said Samsonov, who was a reluctant spectator at last night's 3-3 tie with the Florida Panthers at the FleetCenter. ''There's a plan now. But, obviously, it sucks getting the surgery but there's no other way. I wish I had done it two months ago but it's one of those things that was worth giving a shot.

''Obviously, you try to avoid the surgery but it wasn't the case this time. I guess you've got to be optimistic about it, get it done, and hopefully be back by the playoffs. That's the way we're looking at it right now.''

Samsonov, who will need to have a bone graft to fill in a crack in the wrist caused by an earlier injury when he was about 10 that didn't heal properly, said he feels confident surgery will solve the problem.

''It's pretty obvious, I think, they know the problem,'' he said. ''Obviously, nobody knows how long it's going to take but I think they're pretty confident that's the cure for it and there's no other way to go about it. From what I understand from talking to the doctors, if everything goes great, it shouldn't be a problem in the long run. It's definitely fixable. It shouldn't be a chronic injury. ''

When Samsonov was hurt, Oct. 17 during overtime against the Flames in Calgary, he thought he'd be sidelined for a game or so. But what he thought was a short-term problem turned into a daily vigil. Could he go? Couldn't he? Would time take care of it? Samsonov said he won't miss that aggravation

''The whole year has been day-to-day for me,'' said the 24-year-old. ''There's a plan at least. We know what's going on. It's something where I don't have to think about every day.''

In his first five years in the NHL, Samsonov never played fewer than 74 games. He has scored 29 goals in each of the last two and had hoped to break into the 30 or more range, and looked as if he was well on his way with four goals and five assists in seven games. He said it's going to be strange to have such a long layoff.

''You're getting ready for it the whole summer long,'' he said. ''To take a turn like that is unfortunate. It's a part of the game. Everybody has to go through it once in a while. We'll see what happens. There's nothing you can do in this situation, just hope for the best, get it done, and be healthy.

''It's obviously no fun waking up every day and hoping it's going to get better. When somebody tells you the cure is surgery, take it. I know it's not going to be a day-to-day thing for me where I have to get up in the morning and test it and try it out and answer questions if I'm going to be ready the next game.

''It's been frustrating. I think the main thing is I know I'm not going to be ready tomorrow, I'm not going to be ready tomorrow or for a week or a month. It's a bit of a relief, I guess. I never missed so much time and I'm sure it's going to be hard watching some of the games.''

Recently, Samsonov came to the realization that it wasn't going to get any better. When he played his last game - Wednesday night in Buffalo - he knew that he had no other choice but to shut it down and have the operation.

''If you look at the situation, there was no other way [to go],'' he said. ''I have to just accept it, I guess. It's no fun but I don't have much choice. Either I'm going to think about it every day or I'm just going to try to be positive about it and I think that's the way to go. I just want to close the page and move on.''

''It's disappointing but I think it's peace of mind for Sergei,'' said coach Robbie Ftorek. ''We know now where it's going to be. We don't like that it's going to happen but it's good to know that it's going to happen. It's a terrible part of the game but it's also a real part of the game.''