And right at the top of their roster, with top-line center Elias Lindholm taken out of play with an upper-body injury. The injury occurred in the second period, with Lindholm missing a rotation with linemates Morgan Geekie and David Pastrnak before making his way down the tunnel.
After the game, Bruins head coach Marco Sturm did not have much clarity when it came to Lindholm’s status just yet.
“Not yet,” Sturm said when asked if he had an update. “He’s going to do some testing [Wednesday] morning. Unfortunately, he got hurt there.”
Lindholm finished the game with 11:03 of time on ice, and had one shot and wins in seven of his 10 faceoffs prior to leaving the game.
And this latest injury for the do-it-all center could not come at a worse time for Lindholm, all things considered, as he’s currently on what feels like his most impactful run since joining the Bruins in 2024.
Over Boston’s last 14 games, Lindholm has scored six goals and totaled 14 points, five of which have come on the surging Boston power play.
Only David Pastrnak (28 points) and Charlie McAvoy (16 points) have been more impactful over that run, while Lindholm’s 14 points are the 36th-most among all NHLers over that run. These haven’t been ’empty calorie’ points for Lindholm, either, as the Bruins have posted a league-best 23 points behind an 11-2-1 record over that 14-game sample.
“Hopefully, hopefully it’s not going to be too bad for us, and of course [Lindholm is] looking forward to the Olympics,” Sturm noted. “But I really don’t know, so I can’t give you an answer yet.”
With Lindholm unavailable, the Bruins moved Fraser Minten up the lineup and between Geekie and Pastrnak on the Boston top line.