The Bruins picked up their third straight win Tuesday night, surviving a blown two-goal lead and an overtime 3-on-0 for the Penguins before Craig Smith ultimately scored the winner.
The win may have come at a cost, though, as Jake DeBrusk left the game in the first period and didn't return.
The Bruins ruled DeBrusk out with a "lower-body injury" and coach Bruce Cassidy said after the game that he'd call DeBrusk "day-to-day" while acknowledging he wouldn't really have more information until Wednesday.
It wasn't totally clear exactly what happened to DeBrusk, but we can take an educated guess. Early in the first period, he was on the receiving end of this hip check from Sidney Crosby, which could've caused any number of lower body injuries -- from hip to thigh to knee.
DeBrusk went nearly six and a half minutes without taking a shift after that, which is a much longer break than usual. Then he returned for two shifts later in the period, but the second one ended with another hit to the hip or thigh area courtesy of Brandon Tanev. DeBrusk didn't take another shift after that.
If DeBrusk has to miss any time, things would get pretty thin up front for the Bruins at least for one game. David Pastrnak could return as early as Saturday, which would obviously go a long way towards solving the problem, but he isn't expected to be cleared in time for Thursday's rematch with Pittsburgh.
With Ondrej Kase still out with an upper-body injury and no timetable for his return, the Bruins would have to turn to someone who hasn't played yet this season.
Par Lindholm, who played 40 games for Boston last season, and Greg McKegg, whom the team signed this offseason, are both on the taxi squad and would be options. Neither is a right wing (where DeBrusk has been playing), though, so that would mean either Anders Bjork flips from left to right and one of them goes in as fourth-line left wing, or Charlie Coyle moves over to right wing, Sean Kuraly moves up to third-line center, and Lindholm or McKegg goes in as fourth-line center.
Cassidy also mentioned that Karson Kuhlman or Zach Senyshyn could be options if they want a true right wing. Both of them are currently with AHL Providence, whose training camp opened Tuesday, so they would need to be called up.
Beyond who goes into the lineup, there's also the question of who plays with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand on the top line. That's where DeBrusk was playing for a fourth straight game before he got hurt, and the three of them seemed to be finding some chemistry.
Putting Bjork there would cause the least amount of disruption to other lines, but Bjork has struggled on the top line in the past, including earlier this season.
Cassidy would understandably be hesitant to break up a third line of Coyle and Smith with Trent Frederic that has been rolling recently, but he may have no choice but to move Coyle or Smith up just for a game or two if DeBrusk is out and Pastrnak isn't back yet.
