Bruins Climb, Hold NHL Power Rankings Spots Despite Patrice Bergeron Injury

Patrice Bergeron’s absence hasn’t slowed the Boston Bruins’ momentum.

By winning their last two games without the services of their star center, the Bruins have held onto the No. 2 spot in NHL.com’s latest power rankings and moved up to No. 2 in ESPN’s version of the weekly pecking order Wednesday. Boston will be without Bergeron for at least Wednesday night’s visit to the Ottawa Senators, but chances are his teammates will pick up enough of the slack to maintain the Bruins’ winning form over the coming days.

NHL.com’s Dan Rosen writes in his “Hits” and “Miss” segments why he believes David Pastrnak will help Boston cope without Bergeron.

Hit: … (Pastrnak) became the first player in the League to reach 20 goals this season when he scored in a 3-2 win against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday. The right wing needed 22 games to get to 20 goals, the fastest by any Bruins player since Hall of Famer Cam Neely needed 19 to score 20 in 1993-94. He had his second hat trick of the season in an 8-1 win at the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, giving him 23 goals.

Miss: Patrice Bergeron’s lower-body injury will keep him out for at least one more game and possibly more. The center missed the game Tuesday and will not play against the Senators on Wednesday. He also missed consecutive games Nov. 16 and 19 before playing in two straight.

ESPN’s Emily Kaplan uses a “buy or sell” approach to assessing each team’s chances of reaching the NHL playoffs in this week’s NHL power rankings.

“Buy. The Patrice Bergeron injury isn’t ideal,” Kaplan writes. “However the team seems to be managing the 34-year-old’s nagging groin injury so that he can stay healthy down the stretch.”

The Bruins will visit the Senators and host the New York Rangers, Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes before ESPN and NHL.com revise their power rankings. Wins might just lift Boston above the New York Islanders in ESPN’s and Washington Capitals in NHL.com’s respective power rankings.