The Boston Bruins are finishing up the regular season in solid fashion. This is in spite of the continuous list of injuries the Black and Gold have sustained this year. The Black and Gold will be without the services of forward Sean Kuraly after he took a puck to the right hand during Thursday’s game against the New Jersey Devils.
Sean Kuraly blocks Santini's slapper and Heinen goes the other way and buries a goal.
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) March 22, 2019
Most painful assist of Kuraly's career — who's in rough shape. pic.twitter.com/GT4jOy8e45
Kuraly sustained the injury on the opening faceoff at the start of the third period. The Devils defenceman Steven Santini fired a shot towards Tuukka Rask (who stopped 21 of 22 shots), but it ended up hitting Kuraly.
I’m sure that’s one assist Kuraly wouldn’t mind giving back.
Kuraly came back on the ice for a shift later in the game but ended up going back down the tunnel. He didn’t return to the game. He has been playing some of his best hockey to date so this is injury is the last thing either he or the Bruins organization needs right now.
Kuraly has been a dark horse candidate for NESN’s 7th Player Award. He’s been a dependable presence for the Black and Gold on the fourth line and has 21 points (eight goals) for his efforts. In my opinion, the current fourth line of the Bruins may be one of the best put together since the days of the Daniel Paille – Gregory Campbell– Shawn Thornton fourth line of the 2011 season. They’ve been consistently underestimated by other teams in the league, often to their own detriment.
Kuraly has been a pleasant surprise for the B’s this season. He brings drive and energy to the team. He’s also dependable when it comes to the faceoff. The 26-year old Ohio native has a 54% win rate on the dot. While he isn’t Patrice Bergeron (but seriously, who is?), he’s the kind of player that can be counted on to move the puck, take the hit, and make the play that will help the team.
The Boston Bruins will have more to go on once Kuraly is checked out. We can expect to see an update on his condition sometime tomorrow. Hopefully, the injury will be nothing more than a bad bruise. The B’s will need all their players as they go into the final weeks of the regular season.