Bruce Cassidy is all too familiar with the old adage of Murphy’s Law — as is just about every other bench boss in the NHL.
Already down three top-six options up front in David Pastrnak, Jake DeBrusk and Marcus Johansson — and without Kevan Miller on the blue line — the B’s were already set for a tall task against the Penguins on Sunday night, even with how much fortune has fallen in Boston’s favor during its 19-game point streak.
Losing another man on the blue line wasn’t going to make things any easier — especially against a Pittsburgh club averaging 3.42 goals per game. But that was the hand that Cassidy and the Bruins were dealt on the second leg of their back-to-back weekend slate, as Matt Grzelcyk exited the game in the opening minutes of the second period with what looked to be a serious arm injury.
"It's not easy, losing manpower along the way,” Cassidy said of having to soldier on with five healthy defensemen for close to two periods. "We're used to it. But still, tonight, it's four (games) in six (days), so now you're really up against it against a forward group that's arguably the best in the National Hockey League. That's the last place you want an injury, on the back end. But that's the way it works and we kind of did our best to get through it."
The result on the scoresheet was less than ideal — with the Penguins handing the Bruins their first loss in regulation since Jan. 19 by way of a 4-2 final. But Cassidy did offer a bit of a silver lining when it came to the results he received postgame about Grzelcyk’s health.
The immediate reaction after Grzelcyk fell to the ice following a check by Pens forward Patric Hornqvist was to assume the worst, with the B’s defenseman appearing to suffer major damage to his arm/wrist/shoulder after Hornqvist seemed to catch Grzelcyk’s exposed arm and pin it into into the boards.
Fear of a fractured wrist or arm immediately came to the forefront once Grzelcyk was ruled out for the remainder of the night, but Cassidy managed to assuage those worries — while also noting that the club wasn’t completely out of the woods quite yet.
"X-rays negative. May have dodged a bullet there,” Cassidy said. “But too soon to tell. Like, if there's soft-tissue damage or something else in there. But right now, that's good news. I would guess tomorrow, we would have a better idea going forward. ... It's his arm — we're going to call it upper body. It's his arm, elbow, kind of in that area.”
There’s always a chance that a subsequent MRI or other test could find something that could keep Grzelcyk out long term, but Cassidy also noted that he hasn’t completely ruled his injured defenseman out for Tuesday’s road matchup against the Blue Jackets, either. Worst case — Boston does have an extra body on the current roster in
Steven Kampfer
, who has not suited up in a game since back on Dec. 23 against Hurricanes.
If the injury is a bit more long term, Boston does have a couple of left-shot options down in Providence, with
Urho Vaakanainen
standing as a worthy candidate now that he’s finally healthy, especially with
Jeremy Lauzon
currently sidelined due to a hairline fracture in his foot. Dynamic right-shot defenseman
Connor Clifton
would also likely be considered, especially with
John Moore
healthy and able to slot in on the left side.
“Have not (ruled Grzelcyk out) for Tuesday,” Cassidy said. “I hope he heals quickly. But to think he'd turn around in 48 hours. It might be a little too optimistic to be honest with you. But tomorrow, until I hear from the medical staff, it's tough to say."
"Kampfer will go in (if needed),” Cassidy added. “He's worked hard. He's going to get his opportunity and then we'll go from there. If we need to look down to Providence, see who's playing well. We've had some of those guys up. We've had Vaakanainen up, we've had Lauzon up, we've had Clifton up. We'll just have to make that decision.”
Thankfully, left-shot D is an area of strength on this B’s club, which will help them counter any lost time for Grzelcyk. Still, the possibility of Grzelcyk being back in the fold ahead of the start of the postseason is a huge lift for Boston, considering how crucial the 25-year-old skater
The
only defenseman in the league with a possession exit percentage over 46 and a break-up percentage over 20, Grzelcyk is in a class all by himself — posting higher totals in those metrics than franchise cornerstones such as
Erik Karlsson, Ryan McDonagh, Brent Burns
and more.
While Boston might be shorthanded for Tuesday against Columbus, it looks as though help could be on the way later this week, especially when it comes to both DeBrusk (lower-body) and Johansson (lung contusion).
A short recovery timetable for Grzelcyk would also be a welcome sight, especially with Miller (upper-body) and Pastrnak (thumb surgery) a bit more uncertain in terms of a return.
“DeBrusk would be the one, we’ll check in tomorrow, see how he’s coming along,” Cassidy said. “Obviously, Miller — no. Pastrnak — no. Johansson and DeBrusk would be the two that have some level of chance when we left. I don’t believe either skated today.
“Tomorrow, if they got on the ice, they could meet us if they feel they’re ready. … That might be a Winnipeg thing. And then it’s like, well, to go all the way out there, should we just get them the extra time? That’s where we’re going to bump up against it. There might be a ‘do we give them an extra day’ factor with both those guys. Miller and Pasta? No, they will definitely not be (traveling).”
