- The Bruins will decide this summer whether or not to turn prospect Fabian Lysell pro or not, notes Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe. The 19-year-old winger was drafted out of Sweden so he’s able to play in the minors before turning 20 but Boston decided that the major junior route was the best for him this season as he had 62 points in 53 regular season games with WHL Vancouver and has 15 points in seven playoff contests so far. The 2021 first-rounder can go back to junior next season but the Bruins might prefer testing him at a harder level next season, especially if his postseason dominance continues.
Bruins Rumors
Former Bruins Coach Jay Pandolfo Hired As Boston University Head Coach
- While the Boston Bruins struggle in the First Round against the Carolina Hurricanes, a former coach is getting put in the spotlight today. Longtime NHLer Jay Pandolfo was named as the 13th head coach of the Boston University Terriers today, just one season after he departed the Bruins organization as an assistant coach. Pandolfo was a member of Boston’s coaching staff from 2014-2021, reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2019. Now, after one season as the associate head coach at BU, he’ll get the chance to lead the team himself. In Pandolfo’s final season as a player at BU, 1995-96, he torched the college circuit as the team’s captain with 38 goals and 67 points in just 39 games.
Brad Marchand, Derek Forbort Earn Fines
The Boston Bruins are down two games in their first-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes, and now a pair of their players are down a few more dollars. Derek Forbort and Brad Marchand have both been issued $5,000 fines for actions in last night’s game.
Forbort’s incident came early in the third period when he rather recklessly swung his stick toward Teuvo Teravainen, hitting him directly in the face. It was given a four-minute double-minor from the on-ice officials, half of the eight minutes that Forbort would receive on the night in just 16 minutes of ice time. A key penalty killer for the Bruins, he’ll have to keep his stick in check, as a fine will lead the Department of Player Safety to keep a closer eye on his actions moving forward, and result in increased punishments for any further transgressions.
Marchand meanwhile is already under the watchful eye of the DoPS every time he steps on the ice. His fine stems from a slash on Hurricanes goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov after the two exchanged words in the second period. Both Marchand and Kochetkov were given penalties for slashing on the play, though it is Marchand who also receives the fine–likely due in part to his long history with the league’s supplementary discipline process.
Bruins Sign Brett Harrison To AHL ATO
- The Bruins have signed prospect center Brett Harrison to an ATO, reports Mark Divver of the Providence Journal (Twitter link). The 18-year-old was recently eliminated in the OHL playoffs, paving the way for him to play in the minors with Providence in their playoff run. Harrison was a third-round pick of Boston last year (85th overall) and he had a strong season with OHL Oshawa, notching 27 goals and 34 assists in 65 games with the Generals.
Senyshyn Doesn't Play Enough For Senators For Bruins To Receive Higher Draft Pick
- With the regular season now done (at least for 30 of 32 teams), several trades that have conditions in them have now been finalized. One of those was the move that sent Zach Senyshyn to Ottawa in exchange for a conditional draft pick. Had the winger played in five games with the Senators, the Bruins would have received Ottawa’s 2022 sixth-round pick. He only played in two so Boston will instead get their 2022 seventh-rounder.
Bruins Have Held Contract Talks With Jakub Zboril
- The Bruins have had extension talks with defenseman Jakub Zboril, reports Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal (Twitter link). The 25-year-old was limited to just ten games with Boston this season before his year came to an end with a torn ACL. Zboril is eligible for Group Six unrestricted free agency this summer since this is his fifth professional season but has just 54 career NHL games under his belt so a low-cost one-year deal to give him another chance next season would make some sense for both sides.
Troy Grosenick Returned To Providence
- The Bruins have sent goaltender Troy Grosenick back to AHL Providence, per the AHL’s transactions log. That suggests that Linus Ullmark has been cleared to return; the team was hoping he’d be able to play in one of their games this weekend. As for Grosenick, he has impressed in the minors this season with a 2.02 GAA and a .931 SV% in 28 games, ranking him first among qualifying netminders in both categories.
Pastrnak, Lindholm, Ullmark, And Froden Won't Play On Road Trip
The Bruins have had a bit of tough luck on the injury front lately with several key regulars going down. Today, the team provided a handful of updates on those players. Winger David Pastrnak and defenseman Hampus Lindholm skated today but won’t be with the team for their two-game road trip. Head coach Bruce Cassidy indicated he expects both will be back before the end of the season and could play this weekend. Meanwhile, goaltender Linus Ullmark didn’t skate today but they believe he’ll be able to return over the weekend. Winger Jesper Froden suffered a lower-body injury on Saturday and won’t be on the road trip either with no word yet on how long he might be out.
Injury Notes: MacEachern, Bruins, Flyers
The regular season is over for Mackenzie MacEachern, but fortunately his Blues are planning to play well beyond then. The team announced today that MacEachern has been placed on the Long-Term Injured Reserve with an upper-body injury. The LTIR placement requires that MacEachern sit for ten games and the Blues have just eight games left on the regular season slate. The 27-year-old forward did his best to stay off the shelf; after missing the past three games, MacEachern was back at practice today but was forced to leave early, reports Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The cap-strapped Blues had little choice but to add MacEachern to the LTIR and recall forward Dakota Joshua from AHL Springfield on an emergency basis. The swap actually adds the superior player to the roster, as Joshua has more games played, average time on ice, goals, points, plus/minus and more with the Blues this season.
- It took injuries to David Pastrnak, Hampus Lindholm, Matt Grzelcyk, Brandon Carlo, and Linus Ullmark to send the Boston Bruins into their first three-game losing streak of the season, the final team in the NHL to fall in three straight this year. As the team looks to right the ship on Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, they’re hoping that improved health could help. Grzelcyk was back in the lineup on Thursday night and defense partner could be the next to return, reports beat writer Eric Russo. Carlo was back at practice on Friday and there is optimism that he can return tomorrow from an undisclosed injury. Ullmark, who left Thursday’s game after the first period, did not practice and could be dealing with a concussion, but for now is considered day-to-day. Pastrnak and Lindholm skated by themselves on Friday and there is still no timetable for their return. While there is something to be said for being bit by the injury bug before the postseason, especially for a Boston team that has been decimated in the playoffs in recent years, this rough patch is potentially costing the Bruins their shot at divisional playoff berth as opposed to a wild card spot.
- The Philadelphia Flyers had no update on injured defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen today, as it is looking increasingly likely that his season is over. Olivia Reiner of the Philadelphia Inquirer relays that head coach Mike Yeo does not expect Ristolainen to return “any time soon” from an upper-body injury. There was also no update on Cam York, who is out with a lower-body injury and considered day-to-day. There is slightly more optimism surrounding Cam Atkinson, who is also out with a lower-body ailment. Atkinson won’t play on Saturday at Buffalo, but could suit up on Sunday for the second game of the home-and-home with the Sabres.
Pittsburgh Penguins To Officially Meet Boston In 2023 Winter Classic
Official now after being reported earlier today by ESPN’s Kevin Weekes, the 2023 Winter Classic, previously announced to feature the Boston Bruins at Fenway Park, will feature the Bruins and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Of note, this will be the third Winter Classic not played on New Year’s Day, due to January 1st falling on a Sunday. The game will be played on Monday, January 2nd.
This is Pittsburgh’s third Winter Classic and Boston’s fourth. The Penguins have a 1-1 Winter Classic record, while the Bruins have gone 2-1. It’s also the first time the NHL has re-used a venue for the Winter Classic, replicating the 2010 edition in which Boston defeated the Philadelphia Flyers by a score of 2-1 in overtime.
While it’s sure to be a good hockey game due to the quality of the teams, the selection is drawing ire from many NHL fans due to its repetitiveness. Only 14 of the league’s 32 teams have competed in a Winter Classic, with nine teams (Chicago, Boston, NY Rangers, Washington, St. Louis, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and Philadelphia) appearing more than once. That’s all despite the 2023 game already being the 14th edition of the outdoor game.