Brandon Carlo Injury: Initial Reports Aren’t Good For Bruins Defenseman

The injury bug returned with a vengeance Saturday afternoon at TD Garden.

Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo was stretchered off with a leg injury during the third period of his team’s 5-1 win over the Florida Panthers. After the game, Sportsnet’s John Shannon reported that Carlo, who awkwardly fell on his left leg, suffered a “serious” injury on the play.

Shortly after, Boston Sports Journal’s Joe MacDonald reported that Carlo was diagnosed with a broken left fibula. If true, Carlo could be sidelined for as few as two to six weeks or as much as four to six months if he requires surgery, according to Dr. Jessica Flynn, a BSJ contributor.

To state the obvious: That would be a huge blow to the Bruins, who only recently have been getting back to full health.

If Carlo indeed misses extended time, the Bruins likely will fill his spot on the second defensive pairing with either Adam McQuaid or Nick Holden, who they acquired from the New York Rangers before the NHL trade deadline.

Here’s how the Bruins’ defensive pairings could look without Carlo:

Charlie McAvoy — Zdeno Chara
Torey Krug — Holden/McQuaid
Matt Grzelcyk — Kevan Miller

Veteran defenseman Paul Postma also figures to be in the mix for the B’s, albeit on an emergency basis.

Boston center Riley Nash also left Saturday’s game after taking a puck to his ear. Nash required stitches and didn’t travel with the team to Philadelphia for Sunday’s game against the Flyers.