The Boston Bruins are in an unfortunate position after Thursday’s week-long absence of goaltender Jeremy Swayman with a lower body injury.
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Tuesday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, which the Bruins won 6-5 in overtime, did some damage. Both Swayman and defender Derek Forbort were injured, the latter blocking a shot in the first half, and their health is reassessed weekly.
In the case of the 23-year-old goalkeeper, it was a fall from captain Patrice Bergeron that pinned him to the ground in the third period. The Quebecer’s skate made hard contact with the American’s pad, which took several minutes to get up.
This season, Swayman is 2-1-0 with 3.45 goals against average and a 0.878 save percentage. In goal, the Bruins can at least count on Linus Ullmark, who excelled in 2022-2023 with seven wins in as many decisions.
Boston has recalled veteran Keith Kinkaid and he could face the New York Rangers on Thursday night. The man, who briefly played with the Montreal Canadiens three years ago, had a 2-1-1 record, .922 saves and 2.70 goals against average with the Boston Bruins Providence in the American League.
Head coach Jim Montgomery also confirmed that forwards David Krejci and Craig Smith will miss the next game.