Bruins give injury updates on Carlo, Pastrnak, Lindholm, Grzelcyk and more

Share
0:00
0:00 / 1:19

Mike Felger weighs in on what could make this year’s Bruins team different than previous teams that couldn’t make it further than the second round of the playoffs.

The Boston Bruins have been ravaged by injuries over the last couple weeks, and the problem worsened Tuesday night when Brandon Carlo left in the first period against St. Louis Blues and didn't return.

Carlo's absence means that three of the Bruins' top four defensemen -- including Hampus Lindholm and Matt Grzelcyk -- are currently out of the lineup.

Why Bruins' struggling power play is concerning before playoffs

The Bruins also are without their top goal scorer in David Pastrnak, who suffered an injury against the Columbus Blue Jackets last week and hasn't played in the last four games.

Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy provided injury updates on all of these players Wednesday.

There isn't much news on Carlo, though. His status is undetermined at this juncture.

"He didn't skate (Thursday), so he's got to get further evaluation before I can tell you he's week-to-week or day-to-day or in or out," Cassidy said of Carlo.

Boston Bruins

Find the latest Boston Bruins news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Boston.

4 Nations Face-Off preview: Players to watch, prediction for tournament

State of the Bruins: Playoff race update at 4 Nations Face-Off break

It's also unknown when Pastrnak or Lindholm will return to the lineup. Neither player has returned to practice since picking up injuries last week. 

"Once they join us in practice, I can give you a lot better update," Cassidy said. "They weren't out there with us today, so that rules them out for (Thursday vs. Ottawa). Friday, whether we skate or not, we play an afternoon game (Saturday vs. Pittsburgh). If they're out Friday, I could probably give you a better answer."

There is some good news, though. Cassidy told reporters he thinks Grzelcyk could play Thursday against the Ottawa Senators, "assuming there's no setback from (Wednesday's) skate."

He added: "But again, a couple of these (injuries) have lingered maybe more than I was originally told and thought, so we're cautiously optimistic with Grizz."

Injuries have become the No. 1 obstacle for the Bruins as they prepare for the playoffs. The B's, at full strength, are one of the league's top teams. But they don't have the high-end depth, especially on the blue line, to withstand this many injuries to key players and survive a round or two in the playoffs.

Luckily for the Bruins, there are still a couple weeks to go before the postseason, so the team has time for guys to recover and get close to 100 percent. Boston's final regular season game is April 29 at the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Contact Us