The Boston Bruins will be without the services of forward David Pastrnak for the next two games after the 20-year old forward had a procedure on his right elbow.
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Cue the swearing Bruins fans. This isn’t coming at a great time for the Black and Gold. The Boston Bruins will not have David Pastrnak in the lineup for (at least) the next two games. So, the B’s will be without their scoring wunderkind as they try to hold onto their playoff spot in the Atlantic Conference.
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney gave an update earlier Saturday morning on the status of the team’s best goal-producing forward.
From the Boston Bruins website:
“David underwent a successful removal of the olecranon bursa from his right elbow on Friday, December 16 at Newton Wellesley Hospital by Dr. Matthew Leibman. He will likely be unavailable for the games on Sunday and Tuesday. His condition will be re-assessed on a day-to-day basis.”
So, what does this mean for the Bruins (other than they won’t have their best goal scorer for (at least) the next two games?
Jimmy Hayes once again gets another chance to prove his worth. The old adage says that ‘life doesn’t give second chances’. This adage certainly doesn’t apply to the Bruins forward. Jimmy Hayes is living proof that you only get a fifth chance twice.
I don’t have anything personal against Hayes. But as a fan, I’m tired of seeing the B’s pick up gritty, local kids that just can seem to cut it in the NHL. We’re coming up on the halfway mark in the season, and the only person on the squad that has less points than him is the often-injured Kevan Miller.
The Bruins still believe that Hayes can offer something to the team. They’ll either move him up, or go with another option.
That option could be calling Frank Vatrano back up to Boston.
.@Frank_Vatrano tallied his first of the season to help the @AHLBruins come back from a 2-goal deficit to defeat @TheSoundTigers 3-2. https://t.co/8LTj1rqeXU
— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) December 17, 2016
Vatrano is currently in Providence on a rehabilitation stint as he gets ready to head back to Boston. The B’s could call up Vatrano and see if he’s ready for the NHL. While Vatrano will not be producing goals in the same way Pastrank does, he would be a better choice than Jimmy Hayes.
Maybe Claude Julien can work up another series of line changes that will help spark production. Maybe this will be the spark that gets Patrice Bergeron into high gear. Perhaps the B’s will just power through the next few games and hope for the best.
Whatever the Bruins decide to do, they’ll have to play a better overall game if they want to stay in the playoff race.