The Bruins will be without one of their top two defensemen for a little bit. Boston coach Jim Montgomery told reporters in Edmonton on Wednesday that Hampus Lindholm is "week-to-week" with a lower-body injury, but will not need surgery.
Lindholm will not play on the Bruins' current four-game road trip and will likely be re-evaluated sometime next week.
Lindholm left Monday's game early in the third period after getting his right leg tangled up with a Stars player and going down awkwardly. He initially stayed on the bench and tested out the leg during the next TV timeout, but then went back to the locker room and did not return.
It's a big loss for the Bruins, although it obviously could have been much worse if it wound up being something that required surgery. While Lindholm's offensive production hasn't been the same as last year, he is still second on the team in ice time (23:42 per game) and his plus-20 rating at 5-on-5 is tops on the team and ranks eighth among all NHL defensemen.
With Lindholm out, the Bruins called up Mason Lohrei, and the rookie is expected to take Lindholm's spot on the second pairing next to Brandon Carlo Wednesday night.
Lohrei has played 27 NHL games this season, recording three goals, three assists and a minus-4 rating while playing 16:24 per game. In Providence, he has 13 points (1 goal, 12 assists) in 17 games with a plus-13 rating. In seven AHL games since the last time he was in Boston, he had seven points and a plus-9 rating.
This will obviously be a big opportunity for Lohrei, who could earn a regular lineup spot down the stretch even after Lindholm returns if he plays well.
It could also force general manager Don Sweeney to take a closer look at the left side of his defense as the March 8 trade deadline approaches. In addition to Lohrei, the Bruins will also be looking for Matt Grzelcyk and Derek Forbort to step up. Both have been a bit inconsistent this season, and Forbort has also battled injuries of his own.
