Hall Week-To-Week; Bruins Now Missing Top Two Left Wings

The Boston Bruins could begin the 2022-23 regular season without their top two left wings.

Already without top left wing Brad Marchand (hip surgery), until likely American Thanksgiving, the Bruins found out Sunday that second line right wing Taylor Hall is week-to-week with an upper-body injury.

Hall did not return for the third period of his team’s 4-0 preseason win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. Following the game, Boston Bruins head coach said that Hall, along with rookie winger Fabian Lysell – who left the game earlier in the second period – had suffered ‘minor injuries’ and could be out ‘A day or two’ but that wasn’t the case for both wingers on Sunday.

“Lysell’s day-to-day. We’re not gonna play him tomorrow but we’re hoping, and most likely, probable for Wednesday,” Montgomery said of the rookie winger who left the game 3:04 into the second period Saturday.

The news was not so good though on Hall, who suffered an upper-body injury later in the second period.

“Taylor Hall is week-to-week,” Montgomery said. “It’s a little more significant, the upper-body injury, than we expected yesterday.”

#NHLBruins updates per Coach Montgomery:

▪️Taylor Hall (upper-body) is considered week-to-week.

▪️Fabian Lysell is day-to-day and could play Wednesday in New York. pic.twitter.com/VagkLwrkUu

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) October 2, 2022

With Marchand out until Thanksgiving, defenseman Matt Grzelcyk (shoulder), out until early November and fellow rearguard Charlie McAvoy (shoulder), out until early December, Montgomery was already working with a shorthanded roster to start the season. Now he may need to figure out what to do if Hall can’t be ready for the season opener against the Capitals on Oct. 12 in Washington D.C.. On Sunday, the first-year Boston Bruins bench boss said he was thinking about slotting in Hall’s former teammate with the New Jersey Devils, Pavel Zacha. Montgomery said Zacha’s Czech hockey background could form an instant chemistry with Boston Bruins center David Krejci and winger David Pastrnak.

“I am thinking about Pavel there,” Montgomery said. “They come from the same school of thought with their upbringing, so let’s see what it looks like.”

Ironically, former Boston Bruins winger Mark Recchi, who coached Zacha as an assistant coach with the Devils, suggested to Boston Hockey Now in August that Montgomery form a ‘Czech Line’:

“With Krejci coming back, that’s huge because I know he loves ‘Krech’ and looks up to him,” Recchi said. “He can really help him on and off the ice. Heck, if I’m Jimmy [Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery], I’m doing a Czech line of Zacha-Krech-Pasta. Why the hell not? I think they would click and it would help Pavel a lot.