The exact extent of Johnny Boychuk‘s injury is still unknown, but it certainly seems as if the injury is not nearly as bad as it originally looked.
Boychuk was at the center of a scary situation Thursday night in Montreal when he was hit from behind by Montreal’s Max Pacioretty in the first period of an eventual 2-1 Canadiens win. Boychuk was eventually stretchered off the ice and taken to a local hospital. The good news, though, was that Boychuk was able to rejoin the team and travel with the B’s back to Boston following the game.
However, there are still tests to be done, and Boychuk unsurprisingly missed Friday morning’s practice at Ristuccia Arena in Wilmington, Mass. Following practice, Bruins coach Claude Julien revealed that Boychuk had suffered a lower back injury. The full diagnosis won’t be known, Julien said, until Boychuk undergoes an MRI. The Bruins hope to learn more Saturday, Julien said.
Boychuk wasn’t the only Bruins player missing from Friday’s practice. Fellow defenseman Adam McQuaid also missed practice again after missing Thursday’s game in Montreal. The D-man reaggravated a groin injury earlier in the week and is out indefinitely. It’s the same injury that caused him to miss eight games earlier in the season as well.
The injuries to Boychuk and McQuaid likely mean Kevan Miller and Matt Bartkowski will be back in the lineup for the time being until the Boston blue line gets healthy.
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