Bruins Defenseman Mark Stuart to Miss At Least Two Weeks With Cellulitis

The Bruins confirmed on Sunday that defenseman Mark Stuart has undergone surgery on his infected finger and is expected to miss up to two weeks or more of action.

This is obviously a huge blow to the Bruins blue line with only four games remaining in the regular season and the team fighting for one of the final playoff spots in the Eastern Conference.

Stuart was sent home from Toronto prior to the Bruins' 2-1 overtime win Saturday night after going to a Toronto-area hospital to be checked out. He was diagnosed with a case of cellulitis that apparently didn't improve even after he was administered antibiotics. The doctors decided that surgery was required and the procedure took place on Sunday.

Cellulitis can spread quickly. The first step in treatment is to give the patient oral antibiotics and then, if it's severe, antibiotics are dispensed via an IV. If Stuart needed surgery, it's likely that the bacteria was spreading quickly.

Andrew Bodnarchuk, who made his NHL debut Saturday, could play his second NHL game Monday night or the Bruins could make another call-up from Providence.