BOSTON – The Bruins got Johnny Boychuk back from a mild concussion on Saturday, but the rash of recent injuries continued during the course of a 3-2 loss to the Islanders at the Garden.
Goalie Tuukka Rask suffered an apparent left leg injury during the second period and did not return after being helped off the ice, while forward Daniel Paille also left during the third period and did not return.
Rask was hurt at 9:01 of the middle frame after making a save on a Matt Martin shot, his 11th stop on the 12 shots he faced in his first start since a shootout loss in Buffalo on Feb. 24. Rask extended his left leg for the save and went down writhing in pain, tossing off his glove and pointing at his leg as the referee immediately blew the play dead. Rask was helped off the ice by teammates and went right to the locker room unable to put any weight on the leg.
The Bruins didn't offer many details about the injuries, but Rask's is serious enough to keep him from accompanying the team on its trip to New York to face the Rangers on Sunday and the Leafs in Toronto on Tuesday.
"He's not making the road trip, that much I can tell you," Bruins coach Claude Julien said after the game. "[Michael] Hutchinson is going to be coming up for the road trip."
Hutchinson has taken over as Providence's No. 1 goalie with starter Anton Khudobin sidelined himself with a wrist injury. Hutchinson actually missed Friday's game with an illness, but is OK to join the big club in New York. He is 6-11-0 with a 2.62 GAA and a .920 save percentage this season with the Bruins' American Hockey League affiliate.
Forward Lane MacDermid was also recalled from Providence, indicating that Paille will likely miss some time as well. Paille was injured when tripped by Steve Staios at 9:01 of the third period. Staios is the same player who hit Paille in the face with a slap shot in November, forcing Paille to miss three games.
The Bruins did not have any information on how long Paille could be out this time.
"I don't have an update on him," Julien said. "Obviously with Tuukka it happened earlier [in the game] and they told me that [he wouldn't travel], but they're still looking at Piesy and I don't really know more than that."
The recall of MacDermid would appear to indicate that Paille will miss at least some time. MacDermid could add some size (6-foot-3, 205 pounds) and toughness (106 PIMs, 12 fighting majors in 57 games with Providence) against a very physical Rangers team. MacDermid also has 4-10-14 totals, and with his first NHL recall, he follows in the steps of his father, Paul, who played 14 seasons in the league with Hartford, Winnipeg, Washington and Quebec.
The Bruins are already without forwards Nathan Horton (concussion) and Rich Peverley (knee), while Julien said that defenseman Andrew Ference (lower body) is also unlikely to make the trip to New York.
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