Bruins Defenseman Johnny Boychuk Will Not Play Tomorrow Night Against San Jose

Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

With the Boston Bruins practicing for their game tomorrow night against the San Jose Sharks, defenseman Johnny Boychuk was absent from practice.

According to Amalie Benjamin of the Boston Globe, Boychuk missed practice due to personal reasons, and according to her there is a good chance his babies are due.

Claude Julien said after practice that Boychuk will not return for tomorrow’s game.

In 41 games this season, Boychuk has 2 goals and 11 assists with a plus/minus rating of +15. He averages 20:49 minutes of ice time a game, which ranks second among active Bruins defensemen.

Since Boychuk is unable to play tomorrow, Kevan Miller will most likely play in his spot. Miller did not play last night against Los Angeles. Also expect Dougie Hamilton, Adam McQuaid, Torey Krug, and Matt Bartkowski to play more minutes tomorrow night.

With Dennis Seidenberg already out for the season, having Boychuk out will make the Bruins defense weaker. Zdeno Chara and the rest of the defensemen will have to step up if the Bruins want to get a win against a high powered San Jose offense.

Also, according to the lines at practice, both Loui Eriksson and Shawn Thornton will most likely return to the lineup tomorrow night. However, there is still a chance Eriksson might not be able to play tomorrow night. If the Bruins go with those four lines tomorrow that gives the team four solid lines that all pose a threat to the opponent.