Bruins Practice Report: Pastrnak Not Traveling; Arvidsson Ready To Return

BRIGHTON, Mass. — The Boston Bruins are almost back to full strength.

Again, almost. 

The Bruins expect to have Viktor Arvidsson back in the lineup for the first time in over two weeks when they visit the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night. However, they will once again be without David Pastrnak, who remains day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.

“We were hoping he could skate by now, but he didn’t,” Bruins head coach Marco Sturm said of Pastrnak following practice at Warrior Ice Arena on Monday. “We’ll see how it is in the next few days.”

No new updates on David Pastrnak. He’s still day-to-day and will not travel with the team to Detroit. Viktor Arvidsson is expected to be back in the lineup tomorrow. https://t.co/z8zeFc4H8C

— Andrew Fantucchio (@A_Fantucchio) December 1, 2025

Pastrnak got hurt during the third period of last Wednesday’s matchup against the New York Islanders, and has missed two games since. The star forward has been reliably durable over the course of his career. He had skated in 298 consecutive games, including the playoffs, over the last three seasons.

The Bruins’ list of injuries has been lengthy as of late. Along with Pastrnak, defensemen Charlie McAvoy and Henri Jokiharju remain out of action while on injured reserve, as do forward Matej Blumel and defenseman Jordan Harris, who are both on LTIR.

If all goes according to plan, Arvidsson will come off IR after sitting the last seven games with a lower-body injury that he suffered on Nov. 15 against the Montreal Canadiens. Arvidsson has appeared in 20 gamed for the Bruins this season, accounting for six goals and four assists.

Bruins Practice Lines:

Steeves – E. Lindholm – Geekie

Mittelstadt – Zacha – Arvidsson

Jeannot – Minten – Kastelic

Khusnutdinov – Kuraly – Eyssimont

H. Lindholm – Peeke

Callahan – Zadorov

Aspirot – Lohrei

Swayman

Korpisalo

Extras: Tufte, Viel

Mittelstadt Moves Fast:

Arvidsson is only the latest member of the Bruins to make their way from injury. Over the weekend, Casey Mittelstadt returned to the lineup without ever getting a chance to practice with the team beforehand after missing nine straight games with a lower-body injury.

“I felt ready. I don’t think it was anything that crazy,” said Mittelstadt. “I want to play. It’s hard to watch [when you’re not playing]. Anytime you think you can play, you’re going to try to get yourself in there, for sure. I was happy to play and happy to help.”

Mittelstadt did more than just help out. The 27-year-old scored a goal in his first game back Friday afternoon against the New York Rangers, and then helped the Bruins take down the Red Wings on Saturday by scoring the winning goal in the shootout.

What a move by Casey Mittelstadt omg for the shootout goal #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/1ZXBKtj0TW

— Lucasparmenter23 (@Lucasparmenter0) November 30, 2025

Earlier in the year, Sturm scratched Mittelstadt from the lineup, sending a message to both him and the rest of the roster that he will not tolerate a player giving anything less than their full effort. By jumping back into the lineup without so much as a morning skate beforehand, Mittelstadt showed he has more than learned his lesson.

“The other night, when he came out and said he wanted to play without practicing or anything else, that shows me that he’s a confident guy right now,” Sturm said. “He’s made some huge strides.”

Through 17 Mittelstadt now has five goals with six assists for 11 points. While he is a natural center, Mittelstadt has begun to carve out a role for himself on the wing, which has allowed him to focus more on offense, rather than the defensive responsibilities that come with playing the pivot in Sturm’s system.

“I feel like he’s a totally different player,” said Sturm. “He feels way more comfortable. He’s probably our best player along the wall, with his ability to get pucks off the yellow and make plays. He’s been very, very good. I also feel like he has less pressure playing on the wing. Center men have a lot going on defensively. Offensively, now he’s in a spot where he can just rely on his gift, and doesn’t have to worry about anything else.”

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