Less than 24 hours after a 7-2 win over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night, the Boston Bruins were back on the ice at Warrior Ice Arena for a practice ahead of Thursday night’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks at the TD Garden. There were a couple of players missing from the practice, and head coach Joe Sacco gave an update on two of the players who were not on the ice.
Pavel Zacha was present for the practice, and Sacco said that it was a maintenance day that kept his forward out. At this time of the year, it’s not surprising to see players get a maintenance day, but in terms of the Bruins who are missing the playoffs, it may not be a bad thing rather than risk an injury at this point in the season with just three games remaining.
Also missing was defenseman Nikita Zadorov, who was away from the team for a family matter, according to Boston’s interim coach. It was a rough start to the season for Zadorov after signing as a free agent from the Vancouver Canucks, but he has been playing better lately. He’ll be a gameday decision tomorrow as to whether or not he plays against Chicago.
Some good news in terms of injuries, Mark Kastelic was practicing in a regular contact jersey, but Sacco had no timetable for his return. It's hard seeing him play again this season with just three games left.
Bruins rack up milestones in win over Devils
It was a night of firsts for a handful of Bruins, with defenseman Michael Callahan scoring his first career goal in the first period. Fraser Minten, acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs, scored his goal as a member of the Black and Gold in the third period when he collected a loose puck in front of the New Jersey net and spun and fired a shot under the crossbar.
Way to be, 9️⃣3️⃣ 👏 pic.twitter.com/QlK8mGF4zk
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) April 9, 2025
Morgan Geekie has been arguably the Bruins' best forward in the second half of the season, along with David Pastrnak. In the third period on Tuesday night, he was able to score his 30th goal of the season off a nice pass from Pastrnak. Geekie’s offensive game has grown big time over the last two years, and he has set career highs in goals each season after he scored 17 goals in 2023-24.
Providence coach Ryan Mougenel is stepping away
Ryan Moungenel has been a staple behind the bench for the Providence Bruins, and he has done a nice job with a roster that is young with some veterans mixed in. He has the P-Bruins in the Calder Cup Playoffs, but according to GM Evan Gold, he is stepping away from the team for a personal matter. Assistant coach Trent Whitfield will resume the head coaching duties in Mougenel’s absence.