The Boston Bruins injuries on some of the key players on their roster have resulted in a rather average string of games for the team. Patrice Bergeron has been reported out for an extended period but is just about the only missing link in the offence.
Following goaltender Tuukka Rask’s surprise leave of absence, he got back on track as the star goaltender he is with a 36-save performance in a 1-0 overtime loss to the Dallas Stars. Jaroslav Halak has also proved his worth to the team with his 7-2-2 record.
Boston Bruins Injuries on Defence are Holding Team Back
Where the team is truly struggling right now is defence. Zdeno Chara’s injury, alongside the injuries of Charlie McAvoy and John Moore, have left the Bruins defence in a bad situation. Some of the younger prospects of the team are being rushed into a spot that they may not entirely be ready for. In the team’s most recent game against the Detroit Red Wings, the Bruins had Jeremy Lauzon and Connor Clifton on the blue line – the two have not yet played in 10 NHL games combined.
Sure, it’s important to get some of the younger players some ice time, but the circumstances are not great. Zdeno Chara will not be a part of the program for much longer, so that spot will have to be filled and players will move up the chain to fill roles. It’s an unfortunate time for the Bruins as they have taken a huge blow with the losses of their captain and alternate.
Bruins Front Office
The real shame here, though, is that the Bruins failed to do anything in the off-season to help this kind of situation. Following the loss of Adam McQuaid, the team tried to patch the roster up with John Moore, who hasn’t done anything but get two assists and an injury. Desperately needing someone with experience on the blue line, the Bruins skipped over it and focused on their prospects instead.
This shouldn’t be anything surprising for B’s fans, as the team’s only outside “exciting big additions” to the roster in recent years have been David Backes in 2016 and Rick Nash halfway through last year.
What’s Next for Boston
A 5-3-2 record in the last 10 games really isn’t the end of the world. The Bruins are still a good team and will continue to compete for a playoff spot. In just about every league power ranking, the team places in the top ten, despite actually only being in the first Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Both Bergeron and Chara are expected to be back in a month or so and the team will be able to regroup from any games they let slip away, like the one point they lost to Detroit. Until then, these younger guys will be forced to carry some weight. One of the brighter sides to this is that it’s possible that a called-up rookie on the roster right now might prove that they are ready to play at the NHL level. This chance, of course, is not one they would have received if two of the most important players on the team weren’t hurt.
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