The Bruins are a good defensive team. Every statistic under the sun tells us that. But that doesn't mean they're without concerns on their blue line.
In Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Capitals, some of their biggest concerns were on full display. Chief among them: Health.
With Hampus Lindholm already out for a third straight game, the Bruins proceeded to lose Matt Grzelcyk to injury just over nine minutes into the game. Grzelcyk pinched down the wall on Garnet Hathaway and appeared to somehow injure his shoulder. He was eventually ruled out for the remainder of the game with an upper-body injury. Coach Bruce Cassidy did not have any additional update on his status after the game.
The Bruins had another injury scare late in the second period, when Lars Eller hit Brandon Carlo from behind and sent him awkwardly into the boards (and somehow didn't get called for a penalty). Carlo looked shaken up at first, but stayed in the game and seemed to be fine in the third period.
The Bruins have had problems keeping defensemen healthy in the playoffs in recent years, and Grzelcyk and Carlo have been at the center of that lingering issue. Carlo missing three games in the second round against the Islanders last year was a devastating blow. Grzelcyk missing four in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final was a critical factor in that series. Carlo missed every playoff game in 2017 and 2018 due to injuries suffered late in the regular season.
Seeing both get banged up Sunday -- Grzelcyk obviously more seriously than Carlo -- felt like déjà vu. With both of them healthy and playing well, the Bruins have a very good second pairing. With one or both out or playing banged up, that crucial spot on the roster becomes a question mark.
"Obviously missed his puck-moving back there," Cassidy said of Grzelcyk after Sunday's loss. "It was a big, big, big factor in the game, our inability to transition very well. I think it cost us in the end."
And the Bruins need that second pairing to be a sure thing, because the third pairing remains its own question mark. That was made clear on Sunday, with Derek Forbort in particular having a miserable afternoon.
On the Capitals' first goal of the day, Forbort could neither clear out the front of the net nor get a block on John Carlson's shot. On the second, Forbort got outmuscled by goal-scorer Tom Wilson in front. On the third, Lars Eller easily spun off Forbort to create space for himself before firing a centering pass that deflected off Erik Haula and in.
Forbort actually started the game next to Charlie McAvoy on the top pairing, but a combination of Grzelcyk's injury and the Bruins needing offense eventually led to Mike Reilly getting more shifts with McAvoy. Forbort has been a big part of the penalty kill all season and he's supposed to be the mainstay on the third pairing, but the Bruins can't afford to have him be a liability at 5-on-5 the way he was Sunday and the way he has been a few too many times recently.
Reilly played well Sunday, but has also had a couple rough games recently. Connor Clifton currently finds himself in Cassidy's doghouse. Josh Brown looked fine Sunday for the most part, but didn't bring much of the one thing he's expected to bring against a team like the Capitals: Physicality. He finished the game without a single recorded hit.
All hope is not lost when it comes to the Bruins' defense. Far from it. This is still a team that ranks fifth in goals against on the season and first in expected goals against. Lindholm is expected to return soon.
But they need to hope Grzelcyk's injury is nothing longer-term, they need to hope Carlo doesn't suffer any more scares, and they need to find a third pairing that works.
