Boston Bruins
“I’m hoping that at some point along the way on the trip, I’ll be able to get back.”
Reinforcements are on the way for the Bruins.
Both Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak will travel on the Bruins’ upcoming three-game road trip, with the two star skaters expected to return to game action at some point during this week-long trek.
“We’ll see, but going on the trip with the expectation — I’m hoping that at some point along the way on the trip, I’ll be able to get back,” McAvoy said.
McAvoy has missed the last 10 games after taking a slap shot to the face on Nov. 15 against the Montreal Canadiens. The Bruins defenseman had to undergo facial surgery in the following days, but has resumed skating with the team since last week.
McAvoy was a full participant during Monday’s skate at Warrior Ice Arena, with the 27-year-old blueliner donning a full cage once again to protect his surgically-repaired jaw. McAvoy — who noted on Friday that he lost 20 pounds following the injury and is still weeks away from getting cleared to eat solid foods — said that he’s starting to regain his strength.
“I’m working my way back,” McAvoy said. “I was like 215, 216 [pounds] when I got hurt, and then I dipped under 200. Now we’re on the way back. So we’re getting there, about halfway left … we’ll be back soon.”
While McAvoy skated in a regular sweater on Monday, Pastrnak donned a red, non-contact jersey as he tries to work his way back from an injury that has sidelined him for the last five games.
Pastrnak suffered the injury in the closing minutes of a road win over the Islanders on Nov. 26, with the 29-year-old winger noting that his ailment is unrelated to the knee tendinitis he dealt with at the start of training camp.
Pastrnak has been one of the more durable players in the NHL over the last few years. Prior to this setback, the last time Pastrnak missed a game was during the final game of the 2021-22 regular season.
“I had similar [injuries] in past years, and I was always to be able to play with that,” Pastrnak said. “And so when the injury happened, I honestly thought I [would] be playing the next game, and I just wasn’t able to. … But yeah, I’ve been able to work on my game outside of the ice, too. The trainers are doing a great job. So, yeah, I feel good.”
The return of a franchise winger and a top-pairing defenseman should stand as a major lift to a Bruins team looking to stack more wins after posting back-to-back victories over the Blues and Devils last week.
Despite soldiering on without both Pastrnak and McAvoy for weeks, the shorthanded Bruins have managed to remain afloat without their top-two skaters — posting a respectable 3-2-0 record with both players out of the lineup.
“It’s incredible. It’s so much fun to watch,” McAvoy said of the play of the Bruins as of late. “You see the group, you see the connectedness. I mean, I know it because I’m in here, but I feel like you can see it, plain as day. Like this team plays for each other. No matter who’s in or out, we play the same way. Guys step up.
“We get big goals from guys and and defensively, we’re just a tough out. …. I think we’re playing a winning style, like every night, we’re going to be a tough out. And that was what we wanted to be in the summer when we talked about it. So, we’re doing really good. Thirty [games] in now, and we’ve got a long ways to go, but I think that’s even more encouraging — is we can keep getting better.”
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