The first positive development for the Bruins on Monday came when David Pastrnak hit the ice for a pre-practice skate in a red no-contact jersey, and then stayed on the ice for the main group practice, his first since going down with an injury on Nov. 26.
Skate Pod: How Bruins have survived without Pastrnak, McAvoy
The second came when Charlie McAvoy hit the ice in a regular black jersey, ditching his own no-contact jersey and practicing in full for the first time since taking a slap shot to the face on Nov. 15.
After practice, Pastrnak and McAvoy both said they will be traveling on Boston’s upcoming three-game road trip, which begins Tuesday night in St. Louis. Pastrnak said he expects to play at some point on the trip, but wasn’t sure if it would be Tuesday. McAvoy said he also hopes to play at some point in these next three games, but still needs final clearance from doctors.
Needless to say, this is a massive development for the Bruins. Prior to Monday, the timeline for both stars remained vague. Pastrnak wasn’t even skating on his own until late last week, as what had initially been considered a day-to-day injury had morphed into something closer to week-to-week. Pastrnak acknowledged that he initially thought he was going to be able to play through this injury.
“I had similar things in past years, and was always able to play with it,” Pastrnak said. “So, when the injury happened, I honestly thought I would be playing next game. It’s just, I wasn’t able to. … I feel good now.”
McAvoy started practicing in a no-contact jersey last week, but told reporters on Friday that he had lost nearly 20 pounds since suffering the broken jaw and losing several teeth, and that he was still not supposed to eat solid food for another couple weeks. On Monday, he said he has gained about half the weight back, and suggested that he might be starting to cheat a bit when it comes to eating solids.
“I’m not supposed to be, but I’m starting to… you gotta do what you gotta do,” McAvoy said.
The Bruins have actually managed to post a winning record without Pastrnak and McAvoy, going 3-2-0 in the five games that both have been out of the lineup. Up front, Morgan Geekie has continued to light up the score sheet, Alex Steeves has stepped up in a big way, and the returns of Elias Lindholm, Casey Mittelstadt and Viktor Arvidsson from their own injuries have provided a boost.
On the back end, Nikita Zadorov has played like a legitimate top-pairing defenseman, Hampus Lindholm and Andrew Peeke have played big minutes as well, Mason Lohrei has strung together some solid games, and Jonathan Aspirot and – more recently – Victor Soderstrom have taken advantage of their opportunities. And, of course, Jeremy Swayman has continued to provide high-level goaltending.
Pastrnak and McAvoy both had a effusive praise for the way their teammates have stepped up with them sidelined.
“It’s tough to be injured and not be able to help, but the guys, so much credit to them,” Pastrnak said. “They’ve been amazing and make it easier, every single one stepping up. It’s always been like this here, next man mentality. … This is the perfect example. The guys have been playing so well, and most importantly, winning hockey games.”
“It’s incredible,” McAvoy said. “It’s so much fun to watch. You see the group, you see the connectedness. I know it because I’m in here, but I feel like you can see it plain as day. This team plays for each other. No matter who’s in or out, we play the same way. Guys step up, we get big goals from guys, and defensively we’re just a tough out.”
As far as what the lineup looks like once Pastrnak and McAvoy go in, coach Marco Sturm said he has a good problem to figure out.
“It’s definitely a change having a few guys too many,” Sturm said. “But it’s a good problem to have. We don’t have those problems a lot of times. We’ll figure it out when the time comes, but I will definitely take that kind of problem compared to what we had a few weeks ago when we were scrambling a little bit and trying to get some bodies.”