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Injury Notes: Pastrnak, Backstrom, Vehvilainen

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The Boston Bruins dropped a game time bomb on Thursday night, announcing that star forward David Pastrnak had been deemed “unfit to participate” and would miss Game Two. There is no official word on Pastrnak’s condition and whether he will miss any future games with this current ailment. It could be that the Rocket Richard winner simply could not bounce back from a minor injury sustained on Wednesday in just over 24 hours’ time. Pastrnak did appear to be in discomfort following his assist on the game-winning goal in double overtime of Game Two. However, others have noted that Pastrnak also missed practice on Monday and could be nursing a lingering issue. The Bruins certainly do not want their elite scorer to be out of the lineup for too long, so any further clarification on Pastrnak’s injury will be key to Boston’s Stanley Cup hopes this postseason. In the meantime, Anders Bjork has replaced Pastrnak on the team’s top line while Karson Kuhlman has been inserted into the lineup.

  • The Washington Capitals will also be missing one of their stars for Game Two on Friday. First line center Nicklas Backstrom has entered the league’s concussion protocol, reportscom’s Tom Gulitti, and will not be able to return to the lineup just yet. Backstrom was the recipient of high hit from the New York Islanders’ Anders Lee, which cost him two penalty minutes, early in the first period of the Capitals’ Game One loss on Tuesday. Backstrom played through the period but did not return after the break. There is no word on how long Backstrom may be out of the lineup. While Backstrom is certainly a major loss, his absence fortunately lines up with a return for fellow center Lars Eller, who had left the Toronto bubble due to the birth of his son and missed Game One.
  • Veini Vehvilainen has arrived in Toronto to join the Columbus Blue Jackets as their No. 3 goalie, with Elvis Merzlikins still nursing an injury. The Columbus Dispatch’s Brian Hedger notes that Vehvilainen has already officially joined the roster after landing Wednesday, while adding that he will not count against the 31-man maximum bubble roster limit as goalie injuries allow for an exception to be made. In the unlikely event that Vehvilainen has to make an appearance for Columbus, it would be his NHL debut. The well-regarded Finnish product finally made the jump to North America this season, but played exclusively in the AHL.

Boston Bruins-Carolina Hurricanes Game One Postponed

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The Tampa Bay Lightning and Columbus Blue Jackets were locked in a duel for the ages on Tuesday night, playing into a fifth overtime in a game that began at 3:00pm ET – the fourth-longest game of all time. As a result of this historic game and the unprecedented circumstances of the bubble postseason, Game One of the Boston Bruins-Carolina Hurricanes series that was supposed to begin at 8:00pm ET has now been postponed. The league has announced that the two teams will square off at 11:00am ET on Wednesday, which should allow for the Washington Capitals-New York Islanders game to proceed as scheduled at 3:00pm ET.

With Game Two of the Bruins-Hurricanes still scheduled for Thursday night, the teams will open their first round series with back-to-back games. As with every series this year, there is already a back-to-back scheduled, for Games Five and Six on Wednesday and Thursday of next week. As a result, Boston and Carolina could end up playing six games in nine days in this series. Backup goaltenders Jaroslav Halak and James Reimer could very well see a start or two in this series.

Additionally, the Hurricanes long wait has been extended even further. Carolina was the only team to sweep their qualifying round series, knocking out the New York Rangers last Tuesday, August 4. The team had already waited a week, but now will have gone eight days between action. The Bruins meanwhile played their final round robin game on Sunday.

Bruins Loan Robert Lantosi To HK Nitra

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  • Recently-signed Bruins winger Robert Lantosi has joined HK Nitra in the Slovak Extraliga, per a team release. The 24-year-old had a good first season in North America, posting 11 goals and 20 assists in 50 games with AHL Providence which helped him get converted to an NHL deal for the upcoming season.  Lantosi is no stranger to Nitra, having played there in 2018-19 where he led the team in points while finishing fifth overall in league scoring.

Minor Transactions: 08/07/20

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While all eyes today have been and will continue to be on the six elimination games on the postseason schedule and the impending departure of Florida GM Dale Tallon and flurry of European loans have dominated all other headlines, there have been a few small moves worth noting. Here are some minor transactions from the day:

  • After a long career in North America, journeyman Carter Camper is finally headed overseas. Leksands IF of the SHL has announced a two-year deal with Camper, who brings over 550 AHL games of experience to Sweden. Camper, an NCAA standout at Miami University, was initially signed as an undrafted free agent by the Boston Bruins in 2011 and spent three seasons with Boston, followed by one-year stops with Ottawa, Washington, and New Jersey. He last played on an NHL contract in 2016-17 but has continued to be an elite AHL producer on minor league deals with several clubs. However, as the 32-year-old continues to score at a high level without getting another shot at the NHL, it is no surprise that he has finally chased a pay day to Europe.
  • The AHL’s Providence Bruins poached a physical defenseman from the Charlotte Checkers last off-season in Josiah Didier and he ended up leading the team in games played and plus/minus. As a result, they will try again, as insider Mark Divver reports that the team has signed Derek Sheppard to a one-year deal. While Sheppard is not the caliber of player as Didier, he is a daunting physical presence, recording 67 PIM in just 26 games with Charlotte this year. Sheppard will likely not be an everyday player for Providence, but can be a injection of aggression when the team needs it.
  • Brendan van Riemsdyk deviated from the path of his older brothers when he didn’t jump right from the University of New Hampshire to the pros but instead transferred to Northeastern University last year. Unfortunately, his time with the Huskies did not help him earn an NHL contract like his brothers either. Fortunately, he has at least found a place to play next season. The ECHL’s Reading Royals have announced a one-year deal with van Riemsdyk. The Royals are the ECHL affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, who of course own James van Riemsdyk, which could increase Brendan’s chance of graduating to the AHL sooner rather than later. This signing also means that if impending free agent Trevor van Riemsdyk signs in Philly, all three brothers would belong to the same organization.

Boston Bruins Sign Robert Lantosi

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According to several reports including Conor Ryan of Boston Sports Journal, the Boston Bruins have rewarded an AHL rookie with an NHL contract, signing Robert Lantosi to a one-year entry-level deal. The 24-year old spent the 2019-20 season with the Providence Bruins on an AHL contract but knew right from the start that he would be competing for an NHL deal before long.

It was easy to see why the Bruins would take a chance last year on the Slovakian forward. He had just scored 58 points in 56 games for his club team and showed well at the World Championships. A bronze medalist with Slovakia at the World Juniors several years ago, he had obviously continued to develop into a player who could be relied upon at the professional level.

That’s exactly what happened in Providence, as he finished the year as a core forward for the club and will now get a chance to compete for a spot even higher up the depth chart. The one-year deal leaves him a restricted free agent in 2021 and makes him call-up eligible next season.

Injury Notes: Stamkos, Schmaltz, Rask

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According to Joe Smith of The Athletic, the Tampa Bay Lightning will still be without captain Steven Stamkos for their round-robin game tomorrow, but he was back on the ice at practice today. The 30-year old continues to deal with a lower-body issue and missed yesterday’s game against the Washington Capitals (which Tampa Bay won anyway).

Stamkos’ return will be a huge boost for the Lightning, given how successful he was when healthy this season. The superstar forward had 29 goals and 66 points in 57 games, a pace that would have had him over 40 goals and 90 points once again had it been a full season.

  • The rest of the Lightning will have to try and carry the offense against the Boston Bruins tomorrow, and it’ll be against that team’s top goaltender. Tuukka Rask is back in the net for Boston after spending a few days away from the team with a cough. He has tested negative for COVID-19 multiple times and will be back leading the Bruins on their quest for a top seed. In his absence, Jaroslav Halak allowed four goals to the Philadelphia Flyers.
  • Nick Schmaltz is still out of the Arizona Coyotes lineup as he recovers from a hit in the exhibition game. The team’s top scorer in the regular season, Schmaltz didn’t seem to be missed in their first game against the Nashville Predators as the Coyotes scored four goals. They’ll try to turn on the goal light behind Juuse Saros again today as the Predators will stick with their young goaltender for the time being.

Goaltending Notes: Halak, Korpisalo, Holtby

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The Boston Bruins will be without their top option in goal tonight when they take on the Philadelphia Flyers in the round-robin. Tuukka Rask has been ruled unfit to play by head coach Bruce Cassidy, meaning Jaroslav Halak will be in net for the Bruins.

Perhaps more than any other team in the playoffs, the Bruins have prepared for a situation like this all season. Halak is much more than a backup for Boston, playing in 31 games during the shortened regular season and posting a .919 save percentage. That’s a number most teams would be happy to get from their starter, but it still is a step down from Rask’s .929. One of the advantages of being a top seed in each conference is this round-robin structure, which will allow the team to get healthy without the risk of elimination for the first week.

  • One team not in quite as strong a situation is the Columbus Blue Jackets, who start a best-of-five series against the Toronto Maple Leafs later today. The Blue Jackets have two young excellent goaltenders of their own, but head coach John Tortorella has decided to go with Joonas Korpisalo in game one. While Elvis Merzlikins may have received more press this season due to it being his first in North America, it was easy to forget that Korpisalo was actually named to the All-Star game before suffering an injury. He posted a .911 save percentage on the season but has a strong history against the Maple Leafs and much more experience at the NHL level.
  • It may not come as much of a surprise, but Braden Holtby will be in net when the Washington Capitals start their own round-robin tomorrow afternoon. Holtby will start over Vitek Vanacek according to Samantha Pell of the Washington Post when the Capitals take on the Tampa Bay Lightning. Once Ilya Samsonov was ruled out due to injury the obvious choice was Holtby given his experience, but it is also important to remember that he was far from his dominant self this season. In fact, Holtby posted an .897 save percentage on the season, putting him 52nd among NHL goaltenders who appeared in at least 20 games.

Ondrej Kase Rejoins The Bruins But Won't Play Sunday

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  • Bruins winger Ondrej Kase has joined the team in Toronto, notes Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports Boston. He missed all of training camp after being deemed unfit to participate and he will not suit up in the opening game of the round robin against Philadelphia.  Considering how long it has been since he last skated, he’ll likely need several full practices before being given the green light to suit up.

Injury Notes: Carlson, Ritchie, Johnsson

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The Washington Capitals were without Norris Trophy finalist John Carlson at practice today after he left yesterday’s game. Carlson fell awkwardly into the boards after a collision, but head coach Todd Reirden told reporters today including Samantha Pell of the Washington Post that the hope is to have him back on the ice on Saturday.

Losing Carlson would be a huge blow for the Capitals, though they do have the round-robin games to prepare before getting into elimination territory. The 30-year old had 75 points in 69 games this season to lead all defensemen.

  • Nick Ritchie was back on the ice for the Boston Bruins at their optional practice this morning, along with a good number of other players. The deadline addition won’t play tonight for the team when they take on the Columbus Blue Jackets, but is obviously getting closer to a return for the team. Ritchie came over from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Danton Heinen and had two points in seven games before the shutdown.
  • Speaking of players returning, Andreas Johnsson took part in special teams practice for the Toronto Maple Leafs today. The depth winger was given a six-month recovery timeline in February when he underwent knee surgery and could potentially return for Toronto should they get a little deeper into the playoffs.

Boston Bruins Extend Anders Bjork

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The Boston Bruins have finished some paperwork ahead of their round-robin matches, signing Anders Bjork to a three-year extension. The deal will carry an average annual value of $1.6MM and keeps Bjork under contract through the 2022-23 season.

Some may be wondering why the Bruins would commit three years to a player who has only 14 goals in 108 NHL games, but there is a real belief that he can still turn into a top-six option for the team. Bjork will turn 24 in a week and has impressed during the return to play training camp, enough to make head coach Bruce Cassidy unsure of whether Ondrej Kase will even have a roster spot when he returns.

A fifth-round pick in 2014, Bjork really found his game while attending Notre Dame, becoming a dominant offensive presence and recording 52 points in 39 games during his junior year. He was a Hobey Baker finalist that year and quickly made the jump to the NHL in 2017-18. Though he hasn’t been able to show that same sort of offensive touch at the professional level, he was about to have an opportunity to really establish himself with a strong playoff performance. Like the many unrestricted free agents trying to improve their value, pending RFAs are also looking to put down statistical accomplishments that they can use in arbitration hearings.

It’s important to remember that Bjork will not be a UFA at the expiration of this deal, meaning the Bruins hold some control over him even if he does improve. The deal is also not prohibitive to their cap, but does somewhat guarantee him a roster spot going forward.

With Bjork’s deal done, the Bruins now have negotiations with Jake Debrusk and Matt Grzelcyk to look forward to, all while keeping in mind the flat cap and the pending free agency of Torey Krug.

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