The Boston Bruins finished their game against the Washington Capitals on Monday night short a key forward.
David Pastrnak logged 9:00 of ice time across 12 shifts before heading down the tunnel to the Bruins locker room with just over eight minutes remaining in the second period. It’s unclear what caused Pastrnak to leave the game, but he did collide with Capitals forward Tom Wilson in the neutral zone earlier in the period.
It’s unclear what the Bruins star is dealing with, and the absence could possibly just be cautionary since the club is off until Friday when they travel to Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets in the first game of a home-and-home.
Pastrnak did not return for the start of the third period, but the Bruins announced he is “unlikely to return” with an upper-body injury.
The 28-year-old leads the Bruins with 35 points in 35 games this season. Pastrnak has 12 goals, including four on the power play, and 23 assists. In 709 games for Boston, he has lit the lamp 360 times, which ranks him seventh all-time in franchise history.
