Getting to the upcoming Olympic break without any further injuries is proving to be a challenge for the Boston Bruins.
Speaking after the game, Bruins head coach Marco Sturm did not have an immediate update on Zacha, but noted that he hoped to have an update following tomorrow’s practice.
While the specifics are presently unclear, one would have to assume that whatever happened to Zacha happened in the second period.
It’s certainly of note that Zacha did take heavy contact from Flyers tough guy Nicolas Deslauriers along the glass with just under 13 minutes remaining in the second period. Zacha would come out and log two more shifts before he departed down the tunnel and ultimately did not return.
Fortunately for the Bruins, Zacha’s absence did not doom the Bruins in this contest, as the Bruins got a strong, three-point night out of Fraser Minten (one goal, two assists) and dropped six goals in total on Philly.
With Zacha down, the Bruins moved Matt Poitras up to what was Zacha’s spot between Morgan Geekie and David Pastrnak on the Black and Gold’s top line, while the versatile Marat Khusnutdinov also got a run with the Geekie-Pastrnak duo late in this contest.
If Zacha’s absence extends beyond Thursday’s game, the Bruins obviously do have options in house with Poitras and Khusnutdinov. The club could also move Casey Mittelstadt or Mark Kastelic, both natural centers currently playing on the wing, back to the middle of the ice.
Zacha has been one of Boston’s most productive skaters this season, with 15 goals and 37 points (both of which rank third on the team) through 54 games this season.Â