BROOKLYN, N.Y. — The Bruins welcomed back Zdeno Chara to the lineup this weekend. But they lost another key member of their defensemen corps on that very same night.
Matt Grzelcyk exited the Bruins' 3-2 overtime win over the New York Islanders early in the first period with a lower body injury Saturday night, after getting slashed in the back of the knee by Derick Brassard. There was no penalty called on the play.
Grzelcyk finished with just 1:27 of ice time on two shifts before leaving the ice. Head coach Bruce Cassidy confirmed that Grzelcyk had X-rays taken.
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“He got slashed somewhere in the back of the leg or knee,” said Cassidy. “He went for X-rays and I don’t have any update beyond that, except hoping that they were negative and it’s just one of those ones that really stung. We’ll probably give [more information] tomorrow.”
If Grzelcyk isn't a go for Monday night in Philadelphia, Steve Kampfer is ready to jump into the lineup. The veteran played in Thursday's win over Winnipeg.
The B’s also managed to get through Saturday’s win with Charlie McAvoy (28:43), Torey Krug (26:22) and Brandon Carlo (26:03) all doing Yeoman’s work of ice time in Grzelcyk's absence.