Boston Bruins forward avoided a serious injury during Thursday night’s matchup against the New York Islanders. The incident took place in the second period when Islanders forward Brock Nelson delivered a hit, causing Poitras to fall into an open door at the Islanders’ bench, leading to a lower-body injury.
The player who appeared to suffer a serious lower-body injury after crashing hard into the boards near the Islanders’ bench on Thursday, returned to practice ahead of Boston’s upcoming road trip to Pittsburgh and Minnesota.
It’s uncertain if he’ll play soon, but signs are pointing in that direction. Poitras stated he was ready, though interim coach Joe Sacco remained cautious.
“When Matt Poitras left the game, we were concerned and kept him out as a precaution,” Sacco said. “He looked good this morning, got through practice, which is a positive sign. We’ll see how he is tomorrow. He may be available.”
The injury occurred in the second period of the Bruins’ 2-1 loss to the Islanders when Brock Nelson was finishing a backcheck along the boards. Neither Nelson nor Poitras realized Islanders backup goalie Jakub Skarek was opening the bench door for a line change, causing Poitras to be directed straight into the exposed edge of the boards.
Poitras called it an unfortunate accident.
“It was a little scary and didn’t feel great last night, but I feel better today. I’m lucky it wasn’t worse,” he said. “I got imaging done, and it came back clean—just a bruise.”
He held no hard feelings toward Nelson.
“I watched it back, and it’s just one of those freak plays. You never expect something like that to happen,” he said.
Poitras said he’s ready to play against Pittsburgh.
“I just want to help the team win. Points are important right now. We’ve been playing well and hopefully, we’ll be rewarded,” he said.
Ahead of their flight to Pittsburgh, the Bruins made several roster moves. After Oliver Wahlstrom cleared waivers, he was assigned to Providence along with Riley Tufte and Michael Callahan. Meanwhile, Georgii Merkulov, Jeffrey Viel, and Ian Mitchell were recalled after practicing with the Providence Bruins.
Merkulov has played three games with Boston this season, recording one assist, while Viel played one game and registered a fight. Mitchell, on his first call-up this year, has 27 points in 46 games with Providence.
Pastrnak’s Streak Continues
Despite Boston’s struggles, David Pastrnak’s offensive tear has been remarkable.
- He extended his point streak to 16 games, the longest in the NHL this season, tallying 14 goals and 18 assists during that span.
- He scored his 31st goal, ranking fourth in the league, trailing Mark Scheifele and William Nylander (33) and Leon Draisaitl (43).
- His 73 points are also tied for fourth in the NHL.
- He recorded his 800th career point, becoming just the eighth player in Bruins history to reach the milestone.
- Since January 1, he has scored 18 goals in 20 games, compared to 13 goals in 39 games before New Year’s.
However, Pastrnak wasn’t in a celebratory mood.
“I’d trade the point streak for wins,” he said. “I just want to get back on a winning track.”
Teammate Brad Marchand believes Pastrnak belongs in the MVP conversation.
“He should be high on the MVP list,” Marchand said. “He’s playing at an incredible level and leading the way for us. Watching what he does every night is amazing.”