Bruins Will Remain Shorthanded For Two-Game Road Trip, But Pastrnak, Lindholm And Ullmark Could Return This Weekend
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Bruins have been shorthanded for a couple of weeks, and will remain that way for at least the next two games. David Pastrnak, Hampus Lindholm and Linus Ullmark will remain in Boston when the Bruins head to St. Louis and Pittsburgh this week.
But Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said Monday that both Pastrnak and Lindholm should be back by next week, and could potentially return to the lineup as early as this weekend. Boston has back-to-back games Saturday and Sunday, hosting the New York Rangers before heading up to Montreal for a tilt against the Canadiens.
Pastrnak has been sidelined since an awkward fall during an overtime win in Columbus on April 4. Lindholm was injured the next night during a loss in Detroit. Neither has practiced with the team since, but both have been skating on their own ahead of practice. Cassidy said Monday that by returning by next week, both players should have ample opportunity to knock off any rust ahead of the postseason.
Ullmark was hurt last Thursday when he took a shot off the facemask in a home loss to Ottawa and hasn't been in goal since. Jeremy Swayman will likely get both starts during Boston's road trip, with Tony Grosenick serving as his backup.
Boston forward Jesper Froden, who had been filling in for Pastrnak on the B's second line, will also miss the next two games with a lower-body injury that he suffered on Saturday. With Froden out, Cassidy said that Curtis Lazar will move up from the fourth line to take his spot.
The Bruins have seven games remaining before the start of the NHL playoffs.
