The Boston Bruins are in Detroit tonight, but they’ll be without their top offensive weapon once again. David Pastrnak remains sidelined with an undisclosed injury and is set to miss his third straight game as the Bruins face off against the Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena.
And by the sound of it, it might be a little while longer before we see No. 88 back on the ice.
Pastrnak didn’t travel with the team and hasn’t resumed skating back in Brighton. Head coach Marco Sturm made it clear: there’s no rush.
“We can’t flip it on with him,” Sturm said Tuesday. “He’s not skating this week, so I don’t expect him to play this week.
He definitely needs a few practices or skates.”
That’s Sturm’s way of saying they’re not taking any chances with their franchise forward. And frankly, it’s the right call. Pastrnak is too important to this team’s long-term success to risk rushing him back before he’s fully ready.
Pastrnak’s injury occurred in the third period of last Wednesday’s game on Long Island. With the Bruins off for Thanksgiving the next day, the news didn’t surface until shortly before Friday afternoon’s showdown with the Rangers. Since then, Boston has gone 1-1-0 in his absence, slotting in Alex Steeves on the top line alongside Elias Lindholm and Morgan Geekie.
Steeves has made the most of the opportunity. Sturm praised the 24-year-old’s versatility and work ethic: “He deserves it.
I can put him on any line, on any side, and he gives us everything he has every night. He’s one of those guys who finishes checks every time.
He hunts pucks, and he’s smart enough. We like his game.”
Still, there’s no replacing Pastrnak’s production. He’s Boston’s leading scorer this season with 11 goals and 18 assists through 25 games.
Before this injury, he’d played in 298 straight games - a testament to his durability and consistency. For a team that’s already missing key pieces on the blue line in Charlie McAvoy and Henri Jokiharju, plus forward Matej Blumel, losing Pastrnak is a significant blow.
Sturm did offer a glimmer of hope, noting that Pastrnak is “hopefully” the closest of the injured Bruins to returning. But with no skating this week and no timeline for practice, it’s clear the team is taking a cautious, long-view approach.
There is some good news for Boston heading into tonight’s matchup: Viktor Arvidsson is back in the lineup after missing the last seven games with a lower-body injury. His return adds a much-needed jolt of experience and offensive upside to the forward group.
Tonight’s game wraps up a home-and-home series with Detroit. The Bruins edged out the Red Wings 3-2 in a shootout on Saturday night in Boston, thanks in large part to a 24-save performance from Jeremy Swayman.
He’ll be back in net tonight, looking to replicate that effort against a Detroit team that’s hungry to split the series. John Gibson is expected to start for the Red Wings.
Puck drops at 7 p.m. EST in Detroit. The Bruins will be looking to keep pace in a tight Atlantic Division race - and they’ll have to do it, at least for now, without their superstar.