Already playing their season opener without forwards Patrice Bergeron and David Backes, as well as defenseman Torey Krug, the Boston Bruins lost another forward to injury in their 4-3 win over the Nashville Predators.
Forward Noel Acciari suffered a fractured finger in that game, and on Saturday morning the Bruins offered an update on his status.
The team announced that Acciari underwent surgery to fix a left index finger fracture and it is going to sideline him for at least six weeks. The 26-year-old Acciari played in 26 games for the Bruins a season ago, scoring two goals to go with four assists.
The Bruins are hoping to get Bergeron back in the lineup soon, but Backes is going to be sidelined for several weeks due to his injury.
Krug broke his jaw during the preseason when he was struck in the face by a puck.
Forward Brad Marchand, the team’s leading goal-scoring the past two seasons, was also banged up in the season opening win and left the arena in a walking boot but he seems to be fine.
All of the injuries have left the Bruins’ practice lines looking like this on Saturday.
#NHLBruins practice lines:
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) October 7, 2017
Marchand – Spooner – Pastrnak
DeBrusk – Krejci – Bjork
Schaller – Kuraly – Nash
Beleskey – Czarnik – Vatrano
They return to action on Monday afternoon when they host the Colorado Avalanche.
When healthy the Bruins could be a really interesting team in the Eastern Conference. Marchand, Bergeron, David Pastrnak and David Krejci are a solid core of forwards up front, while the defense has finally been able to add some young, puck-moving talent on to the back end with Krug, Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo starting to take over the position. Tuukka Rask hasn’t been an elite goalie on a consistent basis for a couple of years now but he still has the ability to put the team on his back for stretches, and when he does, it is going to make the Bruins a really difficult team to beat.