Injuries force Bruins to lean on rookie defensemen - The Boston Globe
PHILADELPHIA — The Bruins opened the new season in January with two rookies, Jeremy Lauzon and Jakub Zboril, mixed into their blueline corps, hoping they’d assimilate quickly into life in the NHL.
Sunday night at the Garden, faced with the Washington Capitals (7:08 faceoff), the four other backline starters on opening night likely all will be on the sidelines due to the mounting injury bug.
Matt Grzelcyk played only 10 shifts here on Saturday, exiting for the day after the first period due to what the club identified only as an upper-body injury (believed to be from a Sean Couturier elbow to his head along the sidewall).
Brandon Carlo and Charlie McAvoy both were in Boston, recovering from their injuries, when the puck dropped here shortly after 2 p.m. And Kevan Miller, who logged 25 shifts and 20:32 here, is not expected to play Sunday because of workload management. The training staff believes it is best for Miller right now not to play in back-to-back dates after undergoing surgery to repair his fractured kneecap.
Jarred Tinordi, a waiver wire pickup earlier this season, should draw back into the lineup vs. the Capitals with Connor Clifton, Steve Kampfer, and the two aforementioned rookies.
PHILADELPHIA — The Bruins opened the new season in January with two rookies, Jeremy Lauzon and Jakub Zboril, mixed into their blueline corps, hoping they’d assimilate quickly into life in the NHL.
Sunday night at the Garden, faced with the Washington Capitals (7:08 faceoff), the four other backline starters on opening night likely all will be on the sidelines due to the mounting injury bug.
Matt Grzelcyk played only 10 shifts here on Saturday, exiting for the day after the first period due to what the club identified only as an upper-body injury (believed to be from a Sean Couturier elbow to his head along the sidewall).
Brandon Carlo and Charlie McAvoy both were in Boston, recovering from their injuries, when the puck dropped here shortly after 2 p.m. And Kevan Miller, who logged 25 shifts and 20:32 here, is not expected to play Sunday because of workload management. The training staff believes it is best for Miller right now not to play in back-to-back dates after undergoing surgery to repair his fractured kneecap.
Jarred Tinordi, a waiver wire pickup earlier this season, should draw back into the lineup vs. the Capitals with Connor Clifton, Steve Kampfer, and the two aforementioned rookies.
