Bruins Head Coach Reveals Terrible News Regarding Top Defenceman

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Hunter Bowman
December 21, 2023 (6:22 PM)

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The Boston Bruins face uncertainty regarding defenseman Matt Grzelcyk's availability for their upcoming two-game road trip right before the Christmas break.

Grzelcyk was notably absent from Thursday's practice as the team geared up for a clash with the Winnipeg Jets on Friday night, followed by a Saturday night rematch with the Minnesota Wild, who secured a 4-3 overtime victory over the Bruins on Tuesday night.

Coach Jim Montgomery, addressing the media post-practice, labeled Grzelcyk as day-to-day, avoiding a definitive statement on his participation in the weekend's back-to-back games.

Montgomery explained,

"He is day to day. Not available to practice today. It's one of those things where it literally could be 24 hours, and he's feeling like he could play so he's day to day."

During Tuesday night's game against the Wild, Grzelcyk took a hard hit in the corner early in the first period. Despite briefly leaving the game, he showed resilience, returning in the second period and playing through what appeared to be an upper-body injury.

This setback compounds Grzelcyk's challenges this season, having missed ten games earlier due to an upper-body injury in late October during the Bruins' 3-2 overtime win against the Florida Panthers. The 29-year-old defenseman returned on November 25 in the Bruins' 7-4 loss to the New York Rangers. Since his comeback, he has played eleven games without notching a point, with his last point being a goal on October 26 in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks. Grzelcyk is currently in a 14-game point drought.

Source: Bruinsinsider