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Bruins Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk Leaves Game And Won’t Return

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Boston Bruins

Boston Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk left in the first period of the Bruins game against the Washington Capitals Sunday afternoon and per the Bruins, he will not return due to an upper-body injury.

The oft-injured  Matt Grzelcyk played just 3:11 over four shifts with no points and one blocked shot. When healthy, he has had a solid season with four goals and 18 assists in 64 games. He also has a plus 21 which is pretty impressive considering the riverboat gamble style he can play as a slick-moving defenseman. The Boston Bruins rearguard missed two games between March 5-12 and also was hit with COVID earlier in the season and was sidelined for two games. Grzelcyk has been paired with fellow Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo recently but has seen time on the top pairing with Charlie McAvoy.

With Matt Grzelcyk leaving the game early on Sunday, that left the Boston Bruins with just five defensemen for the final two periods. They were already missing defenseman Hampus Lindholm who has missed the last two games with a lower-body injury. That left McAvoy, Mike Reilly, Carlo, Derek Forbort and Josh Brown as the five remaining defenseman against the Washington Capitals Sunday. Boston Bruins defenseman Connor Clifton was a healthy scratch Sunday.

This was the final game of a four-game road trip for the Boston Bruins. The Bruins arrived in Washington DC with a 2-1-0 record on this current roadie. They beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 in overtime on Monday but then fell to the Detroit Red Wings 5-3 on Tuesday. They bounced back with a gutsy 2-1 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday night.

The Boston Bruins will now return home for a three-game homestand that begins Tuesday against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday at TD Garden. They then host the Ottawa Senators next Thursday and the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 12:30 PM ET matinee next Saturday afternoon.

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