Boston Bruins
David Pastrnak will miss his third straight game on Tuesday against the Red Wings.
The Boston Bruins are going to have to wait a little longer for the return of their top forward, David Pastrnak.
The 29-year-old winger did not participate in Monday’s practice at Warrior Ice Arena, and was ruled out for Tuesday’s road bout against the Detroit Red Wings.
Tuesday will mark the third-straight game that Pastrnak has missed after suffering a lower-body injury in last week’s win over the Islanders on Nov. 26.
“It’s still day to day,” Marco Sturm said of Pastrnak’s status. “We were hoping he could skate by now, but he didn’t. So that’s why we’ll see how it is the next few days. But he will not travel [today].”
Pastrnak — who looked as though he aggravated something while skating out of Boston’s zone in that road tilt at UBS Arena — has largely been a beacon of durability over the years.
Prior to this three-game absence, the last game that Pastrnak missed was during the final game of the 2021-22 season — a matchup where multiple Bruins regulars were sat in a game that held little sway over the final standings or playoff seeding.
The Bruins have gone 1-1-0 in their two games without Pastrnak anchoring the top-six unit, scoring four total goals over that stretch.
While Boston will have to trudge forward without Pastrnak once again on Tuesday, the Bruins are set to get another top-six forward back in Viktor Arvidsson.
The 32-year-old forward — who had been sidelined since Nov. 15 after suffering a lower-body injury in a win over Montreal — was a full participant in practice on Monday.
After a quiet start to the year, the fleet-footed winger started to settle into a productive role on Boston’s second line next to Pavel Zacha and Casey Mittelstadt prior to his injury.
Over his last 13 games, Arvidsson scored six goals and nine total points.
Arvidsson’s availability bodes well for a Bruins second line that was arguably Boston’s top forward grouping before injuries struck last month.
In 131:43 of 5-on-5 reps so far this season, a Mittelstadt-Zacha-Arvidsson line has outscored opponents, 8-4.
Tuesday will mark the first game that Boston’s second line will skate together since Nov. 6, as Mittelstadt also missed multiple weeks after suffering a lower-body injury in an OT win over the Senators.
Mittelstadt returned to Boston’s lineup on Black Friday, and has posted two points (one goal, one assist) over two games since getting cleared for game action once again.
As the Bruins await Pastrnak’s return, Boston might have to bank on more production from both the Zacha line and the power play in order to keep its offense afloat.
“It’s exciting, obviously,” Mittelstadt said of Arvidsson’s expected return. “I think we have some good chemistry and have played well together. Any time you get someone back, especially Arvy — a big part of our team — it’s very exciting. Looking forward to tomorrow.”
Here’s a look at Boston’s practice lines from Monday:
Steeves-Lindholm-Geekie
Mittelstadt-Zacha-Arvidsson
Jeannot-Minten-Kastelic
Khusnutdinov-Kuraly-Eyssimont
Tufte
Zadorov-Callahan
Lindholm-Peeke
Aspirot-Lohrei
Viel
Swayman
Korpisalo
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