Bruins Defensemen Determined To Step Up Following Injuries

The Bruins took a sizable hit to its blueline, losing defenseman Hampus Lindholm to a lower body injury during a 3-2 win over the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday. The prognosis for the defenseman was not good.

Hampus will be out “for weeks,” according to Bruins coach Jim Montgomery, whose team headed to Dallas to face the Stars on Thursday.

A grizzled veteran, Lindholm has been arguably one of Boston’s best players as of late, netting two goals and two assists over his last seven games. The Bruins defense was hit hard by injuries in recent weeks, also losing Andrew Peeke ‘week-to-week’ during a road loss to Toronto, Nov. 5.

With both blueliners on the shelf, Mason Lohrei and Parker Wotherspoon will need to pick up the slack.

Both Bruins saw increased ice time in recent days and look to continue their heady play.

A healthy scratch for two straight games, Lohrei returned to the lineup against the Calgary Flames, Nov. 7.

“It feels good,” said Lohrei.  “I’m here to play, so it’s nice to get back in and try to contribute.”

The towering 6-foot-5, 211-pound defenseman has been a regular ever since, playing in the Bruins last three games. Graced with a quick stride and puck-moving potential, Lohrei has a goal and three assists in 13 games. All four points came during a three-game streak, Oct. 12-16.

Drafted by the Bruins in the second round (58^th overall) of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Lohrei started last season in Providence. The Madison, Wisconsin native was called up in early November due to a mounting injury list. The former Ohio State Buckeye didn’t disappoint, scoring four goals and 13 points in 41 games, while supplying sound defensive play.

In his sophomore season, Lohrei, 23, has been paired with a variety of defensive partners, from Peeke and Brandon Carlo to alternate captain Charlie McAvoy. He was recently skating with Wotherspoon on the third pairing.

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“I’ve played with pretty much everybody by now,” said Lohrei. “I did that a lot last year too, switched it up a lot. It’s been great. I enjoy playing with everybody.”

Although his defensive partners have changed on a game-by-game basis, the objective remains the same.

“Nothing changes,” said Lohrei. “It’s the same approach every day. You show up, work hard and that’s all you can do.”

At Wednesday’s practice, Montgomery had Lohrei fill in for Lindholm on the second power play unit.

“He’s done it before,” said Montgomery. “It’s a situation where he’s very comfortable. He’s done really well there for us.”

“I’m trying to work on my game to get better,” said Lohrei. “Obviously there’s going to be some ups and downs. Just focus on what you can focus on, control what you can control and that’s it. Show up, do your best and try to put yourself in a position to help the team win.”

Holding steady in a reserve role early in the season, Wotherspoon played in just two of the Bruins first 11 games.

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound defenseman rejoined the lineup Nov. 2, skating in the Bruins last six contests.

“All I could do at the time was just focus on my practices, get better and just stay ready,” said Wortherspoon, 27. “It’s a long season. You know there’s going to be ups and downs and injuries.”

With Lindholm’s early exit, Wotherspoon logged 17:19 of ice time in the come-from-behind win against St. Louis, dishing out three hits. It was the most ice he’s earned since Oct. 24 against Dallas (17:56).

Originally drafted by the New York Islanders in the fourth-round (117^th overall) of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, Wotherspoon made his NHL debut in 2022-23. He played 12 games on Long Island, before signing with Boston July 1, 2023. He played 41 games with the Bruins last season, earning eight assists.

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Wotherspoon spent the bulk of his shifts this season paired with Peeke and Lohrei.

“Mason is a hell of a player,” said Wotherspoon. “We work well as a team. He’s such a good skater, so it’s more of just giving him the puck.”

A left-handed shooting defenseman, Wotherspoon has also shown his versatility playing both sides of the ice. He plays left defense with Peeke, while shifting over to the right side with Lohrei.

“I love playing the right side,” said Wotherspoon. “There’s good and bad to playing both sides, but I enjoy it over there.”

According to Montgomery, both defensemen continue to make progress.

“I think because Parker’s gotten more playing time, he’s gotten a lot more confident with the puck and a lot more decisive,” said Montgomery. “I thought the majority of the (Calgary) game (Mason) had a good impact for us.”

All five Bruin defensemen played extremely well following Lindholm’s early exit.

“You don’t want to lose one of your best players in Hampus Lindholm,” said Montgomery. “But one of the things that happens when you get down to five D is they don’t have time to think. They’re just going over the boards rolling over and playing more on instinct. They played faster. That’s what happened (Tuesday).”

With only five healthy defenseman, Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney recalled defenseman Jordan Oesterle from Providence.

A left-handed shooting defenseman, Oesterle, 32, appeared in nine games with the P-Bruins this season recording three goals and five assists. The 6-foot, 190-pound defenseman played in 371 career NHL games with Calgary, Detroit, Arizona, Chicago and Edmonton, tallying 19 goals and 86 points. The Dearborn Heights, Michigan native originally signed as a free agent by the Edmonton in March of 2014.

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