Boston Bruins
Daily Bean: Bruins Gameday, Hampus Lindholm Hurt, Sweden Wins Gold
The Boston Bruins (22-18-2) hit the ice for the final game of their five-game road trip late tonight in Seattle. They are up against the Kraken (19-14-7), who are on the second night of a back-to-back and have won their last three.
However, the Bruins will be without one of their top defensemen.
There are more Olympic roster announcements; nothing shocking for Bruins fans. David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha were previously named to Czechia’s roster. A Bruins’ prospect was, unsurprisingly, named to his nation’s roster.
Friday night proved to be a busy time for league news; two contract extensions were signed, and a small trade was completed. Trade talks have continued; this time, it’s in Edmonton. The Oilers have a forward who is looking for a fresh start. Devils fans pounced on a 22-year-old defenseman, who, yes, is on a big contract, but is soon to be their top-pair defenseman. Was it too soon?
After an eventful 11 days at the World Junior Championships, the tournament has come to a close. Sweden picked up the gold medal, Czechia won silver, and Canada will go home with the bronze medal. Two Bruins’ prospects were eliminated in the first round, but both led the United States in points.
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are in Seattle, Washington, tonight for a late start (10:00 PM ET). The Kraken are currently ranked third in the Pacific Division, and are 7-0-1 in their last eight games.
The black and gold will be short Hampus Lindholm tonight, per Marco Sturm.
“It’s not gonna be a day-to-day thing,” Sturm said after practice on Monday. “He’s definitely going to be out for a little bit. We have to do more testing when we’re back in Boston.”
Sturm added that Lindholm is still with the team and will wait to see doctors in Boston for further information. Lindholm has missed eight games this season, and this will be his first missed game since October 27 in Ottawa. Without him in the lineup, Boston is 2-6-0.
Henri Jokiharju is inching even closer to a return, and said that he is feeling “good.” He will be a game-time decision, and the Bruins will have to activate him from the injured reserve ahead of tonight’s game.
Jeremy Swayman has made back-to-back 30-save performances to help the Bruins land in the win column. He has also played in 11 of the last 13 Bruins games. If Swayman can keep up the strong performances, the Bruins can build off his game and could land in a top-eight spot come April.
Team Czechia released its full Olympic roster on Tuesday morning. Bruins’ skaters David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha had been announced to the team this summer. Today’s announcement included former-Bruin (for nine games) Ondrej Kase. Also on Tuesday morning, Team Latvia announced its roster; Bruins’ prospect Dans Locmelis will represent his home country in Milan.
NHL News & National Hockey Now
The Fourth Period: Trade talks surrounding Edmonton Oilers forward Andrew Mangiapane have surfaced. Per David Pagnotta, Mangiapane spoke to the team about a change of scenery. The 29-year-old forward has 11 points (5-6–11) in 40 games with the Oilers this season; he has been a scratch in two of the Oilers’ last three games.
Philly Hockey Now: Christian Dvorak has signed a five-year contract extension with the Philadelphia Flyers. Dvorak joined the Flyers on a one-year contract over the summer, and has exploded for 25 points in 39 games – his career high is 38 points in a season. The centerman is 29 years old and will be 35 upon the completion of his new contract.
Toronto Hockey Now: Shortly after hearing news about Chris Tanev’s long-term injury, the Maple Leafs also found out that Dakota Joshua will be out long-term. Joshua’s injury is a lacerated kidney; he will not miss the whole season, but the timeline is unclear. The 29-year-old Michigan native landed with the Maple Leafs this summer and has amassed ten points and 127 hits over 36 games.
New Jersey Hockey Now: The Devils have gone through ups and downs this season, and injuries have hampered their success. Frustration at the Prudential Center was at a high, and Luke Hughes had “the wrong game at the wrong time,” said James Nichols. Devils fans let the youngest Hughes brother hear it, and maybe it is because of the eight-year, $9.5 million cap hit that he carries. James Nichols dives into why that is not the best idea this early in Hughes’ contract.
TSN: The Nashville Predators announced a two-year extension for goalie Justus Annunen on Monday. Nashville acquired the 25-year-old Finnish goaltender last season from the Avalanche in the Scott Wedgewood deal. This season, he is 3-5-1 in nine starts and has made 12 appearances. The deal comes in with a salary cap hit of $1.25 million per year.
TSN: The Carolina Hurricanes acquired defenseman Juuso Valimaki from the Utah Mammoth on Monday night. Valimaki underwent ACL surgery in March and was slated to miss eight to nine months. Utah waived the 27-year-old defenseman last week, and he went unclaimed. Carolina did not need to pay anything; flipping Future Considerations to Utah.
Daily Faceoff: Team Sweden won the gold medal at the IIHF World Junior Championship on Monday night. The Swedes beat Czechia 3-2, and the game-winning goal belonged to BU Terrier Sascha Boumedienne (WPG). It is Sweden’s first gold medal since 2012.
Czechia goes home with the silver medal; they have now medaled in four straight years. Canada, with a 6-3 win over Finland, takes the bronze medal home. Czechia’s Vojtech Cihar (LAK) was named the MVP of the tournament.
