In this latest edition of Boston Bruins News & Rumors, we have injury updates for star defenseman Charlie McAvoy and center Pavel Zacha. In other news, the Bruins have called up Jesper Boqvist to their NHL roster. Lastly, if the Bruins’ lines at practice indicate their lineup for their next game, Morgan Geekie will have a very big role and opportunity.
Let’s discuss all of this in today’s (Dec. 12) Bruins News & Rumors column.
McAvoy Skates But Absent At Team Practice
Last week, McAvoy suffered an upper-body injury against the Buffalo Sabres and left the game early because of it. Since then, the 2016 first-round pick has been deemed as being out day-to-day. The hope is that he will return for the Bruins for their contest against the New Jersey Devils tomorrow night (Dec. 13), but that is certainly not set in stone, given a recent update.
According to Steve Conroy, McAvoy skated today (Dec. 12) but did not participate in the club’s full team practice. Given the fact that McAvoy missed practice, there is a chance that he will not play against the Devils, as Conroy noted. However, the hope is that he will feel good enough to play, and we will need to wait and see what happens on that front from here.
Zacha Also Misses Practice
Similar to McAvoy, Zacha left his last appearance early, but that was against the Arizona Coyotes on Dec. 9. The 2015 first-round pick suffered an upper-body injury of his own and has also been deemed day-to-day. However, although this is expected to be a short-term ailment, things are not looking too good for Zacha playing against the Devils.
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The hope is that Zacha will be good to go for their game against the Devils, but him missing practice and not even skating on his own is making that seem a bit unlikely. With that, Boqvist’s call-up is another probable indicator that Zacha is forced to miss more time.
Boqvist Called Up to NHL Roster
As noted above, Boqvist has been called back up to the Bruins’ NHL roster. The 25-year-old has spent the vast majority of this season in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Providence Bruins after failing to earn a roster spot out of camp. However, assuming he gets into game action, he will now look to show the Bruins that he deserves more chances at the NHL level.
Boqvist has only played in one game for Boston this season, back on Oct. 26 against the Anaheim Ducks and failed to get on the scoresheet. In 24 games this season with Providence, he has five goals, 14 points, and a plus-7 rating.
Geekie Skates With First Line
With Zacha sidelined, the Bruins slotted Geekie on the club’s first line with Jake DeBrusk and David Pastrnak at the club’s latest practice, as relayed by Fluto Shinzawa. This is certainly big jump in the lineup for Geekie, and if the Bruins use him as their 1C against New Jersey, it will be a grand opportunity for the 25-year-old.
Geekie has shown signs of improvement over the last stretch of games, posting two assists in his last four games. However, he also has been making an impact on both sides of the ice, and clearly head coach Jim Montgomery has liked what he’s been seeing from him, given this potential promotion. We will need to wait and see if the Bruins give him a shot at the 1C spot against the Devils from here.
