Injuries are piling up for the Boston Bruins. David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha missed Friday afternoon's 6-2 loss to the New York Rangers. They might have been able to get away with missing one, but both of them? No shot.
After the game on Friday, head coach Marco Sturm said that he had "No idea" if either would be in the lineup against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night at the TD Garden. This is a big early-season game between the Atlantic Division foes as they are beginning a home-and-home two-game series. After an optional morning skate at the TD Garden, Sturm dropped more brutal injury news ahead of Saturday night's game.
David Pastrnak will be out against the Red Wings
Sturm told the media that Pastrnak would be out again against Detroit, but he didn't believe it would be a long-term situation. Sometimes those are famous last words, but they often end up being longer. If there was any good news, Zacha was skating on Saturday morning, as was Charlie McAvoy. Zacha will be a game-time decision after suffering an upper-body injury against the New York Islanders on Wednesday night.
McAvoy is far from returning, as Sturm said he has lost some weight and needs to build it back up. It's been two weeks since he took the puck to the face against the Montreal Canadiens. Viktor Arvidsson took part in the skate and felt good, but no timetable on his return. Henri Jokiharju was placed on injured reserve, and Michael Callahan was recalled from the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL).
So, what does all this mean? It means the Bruins could be in for a rough night against the Red Wings, who come into the game off a 6-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning at home on Friday afternoon and will be pretty angry. Both teams are in danger of slipping further from the Eastern Conference playoff picture, which is compacted very tightly. Injuries at the wrong time for the Black and Gold could be a season-killer.