BOSTON – With the Stanley Cup playoffs looming less than a week away, the injury bug is beginning to strike for the Black and Gold.
Torey Krug had to leave Thursday night’s game vs. the Ottawa Senators midway through the first period and with a lower body injury. He left the Garden on crutches with a big, bulky brace on his right knee. So that's not encouraging Bruins news. It was tough to tell what exactly happened to Krug on his last shift on the ice as it appeared he had some light contact with Viktor Stahlberg in a battle to keep the puck in the offensive zone, but nothing that should have knocked him out of the game.
Krug’s absence meant John-Michael Liles was promoted to the point on the B’s top power play unit and the Bruins were down to five D-men with Kevan Miller forced to play a bit on the left side once Krug was done after three shifts and 2:32 of ice time. If Krug’s injury keeps him out for Saturday’s regular season finale it also might open the door for 19-year-old rookie Charlie McAvoy honing his craft down in Providence, though the fact that McAvoy is a right shot defenseman would preclude him from being a perfect replacement for Krug.
Krug is tied for fifth in the NHL among defensemen with his career-high 51 points this season, and he would be greatly missed by Boston both 5-on-5 and especially on the power play if he’s out for any length of time.