With a 5-1-1 record (11 of a possible 14 points) banked away, the Bruins have certainly done their part to stay afloat in a crowded-beyond-belief Eastern Conference playoff picture.

They’ve essentially done that without their top defensemen, too, with both Hampus Lindholm (injured on Nov. 12 in St. Louis) and Charlie McAvoy (out for the last six games) on the shelf. For Lindholm, it’s been a lower-body ailment sustained on a Justin Faulk shot right off the kneecap, while McAvoy has dealt with an undisclosed ailment that’s kept him out of the lineup since Jan. 14 vs. Tampa.

But Monday came with good news in regards to both players, as they were both full participants in practice ahead of the team’s flight to Buffalo.

“They won’t be traveling with us [to Buffalo], but obviously a good sign here today that they’re both on the ice practicing with us and participating in contact drills,” Bruins interim head coach Joe Sacco said following practice. “They’re obviously moving in the right direction, which is a good sign.”

And though he’s not ready for a return to action just yet, Lindholm’s switch to a regular sweater after practicing with a non-contact jersey in recent days feels like a massive development for a club that’s sorely missed his do-it-all presence on the left side of the defense.

Lindholm was actually one of the Black and Gold’s best and most effective players to date at the time of his injury, with seven points and 17 blocks in 17 games. And the Bruins have been without him for so long that believe it or not Lindholm actually has not played for a B’s team truly led by Sacco, as his injury in St. Louis occurred exactly one week before Jim Montgomery’s firing from his post with the club.

“I’ve never been that good at watching, I’m better playing hockey,” Lindholm said. “I think it’s the same for everyone. You wanna be out there because you feel like you can make a difference. It’s gonna be a big stretch for us here, and I hope I can be a big factor in us getting over the hump.”

McAvoy, meanwhile, was playing through his injury before the club made the decision to shut him down for a little bit in an attempt to get him closer to fully healthy. And during that break, McAvoy and his wife, Kiley, welcomed their first child, Rhys, born on Sunday morning. And while it’s been a hectic time, to say the least, there was nothing that overly concerning to No. 73 when it came to his injury recovery.

“It was just something that we needed to take care of and the timing was going to be fine,” McAvoy said. “It sucks when you get hurt and you’ve got to take some time, but I’m doing great and life is good.”

As noted by Sacco, the Bruins will be without both Lindholm and McAvoy for Tuesday night against the East-worst Sabres. But the hope is that they will be available for what will certainly be a challenging finish to the B’s first-half slate, with showdowns against the Jets, Rangers (twice), Wild, and Golden Knights on tap before the club goes on a two-week break for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

And the Bruins will absolutely need them back in action as they begin Monday clinging to a playoff spot by a single point over the ninth-place Blue Jackets.

Pastrnak earns 1st Star honors

Bruins winger David Pastrnak will not be featured in next month’s 4 Nations Face-Off.

It’s in his backyard, and he is undoubtedly one of the best players in the world, but Czechia did not receive the same invite that Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States did. If you ask him about it point blank, he’s not happy about it and he doesn’t plan on watching the tourney.

But rather than sulking about it in the days and weeks leading up to the tournament, Pastrnak has clearly made that everyone else’s problem and picked up another honor as a result of his white-hot scoring ways, with Pastrnak named the NHL’s First Star of the Week.

In action for four games this past week, Pastrnak scored three goals, and had an NHL-leading eight points for the Black and Gold. Pastrnak also led the NHL in even-strength scoring, with seven of those eight points coming at even-strength play.

Pastrnak’s latest honor comes just one week after he was named the NHL’s Third Star of the Week, and in the midst of what’s been an insane month for No. 88, with 11 goals and 22 points in 12 games. Pastrnak’s 11 goals are the most in the NHL for the month of January, and his 22 points give him a three-point lead over Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov and Nashville’s Filip Forsberg for the most in the NHL.

Pastrnak begins this new week with the 10th-most goals in the NHL (24) and the ninth-most points (59), and with his Bruins sitting in the first wild card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Join the Discussion: » 11 Comments » Post New Comment

» Bruins beat Sharks; B's make more moves

» Should Bruins be sellers this deadline?

» Bruins make five moves ahead of tilt vs. Bolts

» 4 thoughts as Bruins begin new week

» B's slide hits four with OT loss to Islanders