The Boston Bruins face the third game of a four-game western road trip Saturday when they go for their fifth win in a row facing the Los Angeles Kings. But before the game, the Bruins made an announcement on center Pavel Zacha.
Zacha is out for the Boston Bruins against the Kings on Saturday night, an upper-body injury costing them their top-line center.
With Boston riding four straight wins and no return date beyond day-to-day, the Bruins must find out fast whether their first line holds without him.
"Pavel Zacha will be out [tonight]," coach Marco Sturm said to reporters in Los Angeles. "He will be day-to-day with an upper-body injury," according to Boston Hockey Now's Jack Studley.
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Zacha got hurt late in Friday's 4-2 win at the Anaheim Ducks. Ducks defenseman Drew Helleson hit him on his final shift, and Zacha sat out the last 8:59 of the game. He had logged 17:04 and two assists by then, according to Boston Hockey Now.
Fraser Minten steps into the first-line center spot between David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie.
"As of right now, it will be Minten starting with David and then we will see how it goes," Sturm said of the 1C position, according to BostonBruins.com .
Matt Poitras slides up to center the second line, and Sean Kuraly returns on the fourth. On defense, Nikita Zadorov comes out of the lineup, and Jonathan Aspirot plays his first game since Oct. 3. Jeremy Swayman starts in goal, carrying a 1.99 goals-against average and .930 save percentage through six games, BostonBruins.com reported.
The Bruins arrive at 6-2-0 after a comeback in Anaheim fueled by a power play that went 3-for-4 following a 3-for-18 start to the season, according to NHL.com .
"Power play was the difference," Sturm said. Zacha's two assists both came on that man advantage, including the feed that set up Elias Lindholm's go-ahead goal at 8:18 of the third period.
Los Angeles has yet to win this season and fell 4-1 to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday. Artemi Panarin leads the Kings with four points in five games. For Boston, Saturday is the second game of a back-to-back and the third stop on a four-game trip that ends Tuesday in Dallas.
"They've been off for a bit and they're hungry for a win," Sturm said of the Kings, BostonBruins.com reported.
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Zacha, 29, was born April 6, 1997, in Brno, Czech Republic, and stands 6-foot-4 and 212 pounds . The New Jersey Devils chose him sixth overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft out of the Sarnia Sting.
He spent seven seasons in New Jersey and totaled 69 goals and 179 points in 386 games. The Devils traded him to Boston in July 2022 for Erik Haula, and he signed a four-year, $19 million extension in January 2023, according to RotoWire .
Zacha has produced 88 goals and 233 points in 328 games with the Bruins. Last season he set career highs with 30 goals and 65 points in 78 games, according to Hockey-Reference. His career totals stand at 714 games, 157 goals, 255 assists and 412 points.
This season he has two goals and three assists in eight games, and he had extended his point streak to four games Friday, Boston Hockey Now reported.
His contract expires after this season. General manager Don Sweeney said Sept. 16 that Boston remains in contact with Zacha's representatives about his future, as reported by Joe Haggerty of Boston Sports Journal and relayed by RotoWire . No timetable exists beyond day-to-day, and the Bruins practice Monday in Dallas before facing the Stars on Tuesday.
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