Reinforcements could be on the way for Bruins after injuries strike ahead of key Maple Leafs matchup

The Maple Leafs are going to be shorthanded going into a pair of anticipated bouts with the Bruins on Saturday and Tuesday — as top-six pivot John Tavares will miss at least the next two weeks due to a broken finger. 

It’s a tough hit for a Toronto club looking to snatch some valuable points in the standings away from a divisional foe, but Bruce Cassidy’s club is also feeling the sting from the injury bug going into Saturday night. 

Already pressing for secondary scoring after David Krejci was held out of Thursday’s shootout loss to the Lightning due to an upper-body injury, the B’s received more bad news on Friday morning — as Boston could be without three starters when it heads up north of the border. 

Cassidy noted following Friday’s practice that both Krejci and Joakim Nordstrom will not travel with the team up to Toronto, with the latter suffering an upper-body injury during the later stages of Thursday’s loss. 

In addition, Patrice Bergeron’s status is a bit up in the air, as he’s dealing with a lower-body injury after blocking a shot from Victor Hedman while out on a PK shift Thursday. Boston’s top-line pivot will travel with the team and has not been ruled out yet — but for a club that has received 14 of its 19 goals scored this year from its top forward trio of 63-37-88, any potential limitations for Bergeron stands as a major cause for concern. 

Even if Bergeron does get the green light, it seems apparent that a roster move will have to be made.  

“We weren’t sure on Krech, it turned out to be worse than we thought,” Cassidy said. “Nordy was an injury late and we found out this morning. So there’s a little bit of a discussion this morning, as opposed to last night with making a (roster) decision. We want to make sure we’re making the right one.”

So where exactly do the Bruins go from here? 



The loss of Nordstrom is a bit easier for Boston to absorb, given the club’s depth in the bottom-six. David Backes, who has not played since October 10, will likely slot in on that checking line — a role where Backes has arguably been at his best over the last year-plus. 

Par Lindholm would also be a possibility to replace Nordstrom, but with Krejci out of commission, it would seem likely that the versatile forward will get the keys to the third line once again. 

“What we would do is either put Lindy in the middle, (Sean) Kuraly left and (Chris) Wagner right or you put Wagner on the left and Backes on that line,” Cassidy said. "Because he’s had some good games at the end of last year, David. That’s when he was most effective playing on that type of line.”

But regardless of whether or not Bergeron is cleared in time for Saturday’s matchup, a call down to Providence might be in order for the Bruins. 

“(Anders) Bjork has been playing well down there,” Cassidy said. “(Brendan) Gaunce has been playing well down there. (Peter) Cehlarik. Those are the names I heard amongst others. So those could be potential guys. We’re going to talk to Don (Sweeney) now about that.”

If Bergeron is ruled out, Gaunce could be first in line for a promotion, given that he has opened the season at center down in Providence. So far, the former Canucks forward has gotten off to a strong start in the AHL ranks — tallying three goals and four total points in four games. He could settle into the third line if needed, with Coyle and Lindholm getting promoted up to the first and second line, respectively. 

Of course, the name that most fans are clamoring for is Anders Bjork, who was one of Boston’s most impressive forwards during preseason play. Despite Boston holding an absurd 80-31 edge in shot attempts during Bjork’s 54:49 of 5v5 TOI in September, the B’s opted to let the 23-year-old winger work on his game down in Providence — a test that the Notre Dame product has passed with flying colors so far. 

After tallying three goals and three assists over his first five games with Providence, Bjork could be in line for a return to the NHL — with Boston’s injury situation opening up a window for Cassidy to see if the speedy winger can help solve some of his team’s scoring woes. 

“We wanted him to go down there and find his offensive game and he has,” Cassidy said of Bjork. “Is it enough of a sample size to say that he is ready to play in the NHL? Until we bring him up, that’s a hard question to answer. We want to get a prolonged amount of time — whether that’s one month, 10 days, two months. Five games is probably a little bit of a short sample, but he’s certainly passing the test down there if we decided to go that route.”

Cassidy added that Boston will be inclined to keep Bjork at left wing when he does return to the big club — which could cause a couple of headaches in terms of solving the black hole currently located at the RW position.

However, Danton Heinen’s ability to shift over to right wing could open up a spot for Bjork on a line that could conceivably feature Coyle centering the two. That line was dominant during preseason action — with Boston holding a suffocating 16-3 edge in 5v5 shot attempts when that trio was deployed over just 7:55 of ice time. 

It already was a given that a player like Bjork would be back up with the Bruins in short order this season. Five games may not be the extended sample size that Cassidy and the B’s staff envisioned, but given both Boston’s scoring woes and the state of its shorthanded roster — the time might be now for Bjork to get the call.