To say this has been an up-and-down season for Mason Lohrei would be an understatement. He has played very well at times, while he has struggled at others. It was never more evident than last week in back-to-back games.
He was outmuscled for the puck at center ice by Matthew Knies of the Toronto Maple Leafs last week, which led to a shorthanded goal in the Leafs 4-2 win last Tuesday night. Then one night later in Western New York against the Buffalo Sabres, the Black and Gold held a 2-1 third-period lead when a turnover on the defensive blueline led to a breakaway goal. Lohrei compounded matters by picking up a cross-checking penalty, which led to a Sabres power play goal 33 seconds later.
The Bruins ended up rallying for a 4-3 overtime win. Lohrei has been out of the lineup recently with what the team is saying is an upper-body injury. Henri Jokiharju has replaced him in the lineup and picked up what turned out to be the game-winning goal in Tuesday night's 6-3 win over the Dallas Stars. It was his first goal as a Bruin. Head coach Marco Sturm has been happy with Jokiharju's game.
“We just want him to play hard, play very, very simple,” said Sturm. “I think he’s done a good job as of late.”
Sandis Vilmanis misses game with Bruins
When Florida Panthers forward Sandis Vilmanis took a cheap shot to the head of Charlie McAvoy back in February, right before the Olympic break, it wasn't received well by the Bruins. There was a clear intent by Vilmanis, who clearly knew what he was doing. After serving a penalty, he left the game with an injury. He played the next night against the Tampa Bay Lightning. That was a typical move by Paul Maurice to avoid the Bruins getting any revenge on him.
Typical move by a Panthers organization that delivers cheap shots all the time and avoids punishment by NHL Player Safety. Vilmanis wasn't punished, and the first game between the two teams since that hit was Thursday night in South Florida. Despite the Panthers dealing with a ton of injuries, Vilmanis was nowhere to be found and was in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Charlotte Checkers. Read into that what you shall. Florida was missing 11 regulars in the game.
Providence Bruins eclisped century marks for points in 2025-26
The Providence Bruins picked up a 3-2 shootout win over the Utica Comets on Wednesday night. It was their 50th win of the season, and they eclipsed the 100-point plateau with the win. They got goals in regulation from Matej Blumel and John Farinacci, before Blumel and Riley Tufte scored in the shootout.
Providence improved to 50-14-1-0 and 4-0 in shootouts. They will visit Syracuse on Friday night.