The 28-year-old winger, who walked away in July as a free agent after nearly a decade with the Bruins, leads the Canucks in goal scoring (14), with eight goals and nine points in his last seven games.
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VANCOUVER — A total of 120 minutes into their five-game road trip, the scuffling, hey-buddy-could-you-spare-a-goal Bruins have scored but twice — once on a power play (
David Pastrnak vs. the Jets), and once on a penalty shot (
Brad Marchand vs. the Kraken).
These are lean, trying times in the attack zone for the Black and Gold, 0-2-0 on the trip and with a season-worst goal differential of minus-23 as they head into Saturday night’s visit with
Jake DeBrusk and the Canucks.
DeBrusk, who walked away in July as a free agent after nearly a decade with the Spoked-B brotherhood, leads Vancouver in goal scoring (14). The 28-year-old winger has been on fire of late, collecting eight goals and 9 points in the last seven games.
He tallied the opening strike in
a 2-0 victory over the Bruins on Nov. 26 at TD Garden.
Never with more than 27 goals in a season during his time in the Hub of Hockey, DeBrusk is on pace to pot 41 — precisely the kind of pop and dangerousness his old team so desperately could use as the season creeps toward its halfway point.
Meanwhile, there was no word here Friday — a scheduled day off for the Bruins — about the health or availability of high-priced center
Elias Lindholm, who exited midway through the second period of Thursday’s 5-1 loss in Seattle.
Lindholm sustained an upper-body injury and was pulled after logging only 6:56 of ice time. Hired in July for $54.25 million, the skilled Swedish pivot has delivered a paltry 3-10—13, adding little discernible presence to a top-six forward group which once included the speedy-yet-streaky DeBrusk.
As night fell in this foggy, drizzly seaside city, the Bruins had not announced a roster move, suggesting Lindholm will be upright, taking fluids, and good to go Saturday night. A training camp injury aside, Lindholm has been good to go all season, but minus good results.
The obvious move, cap and roster space allowing, would have been to call in
Matt Poitras from AHL Providence, where he has been smoking hot of late, a month after his assignment to the WannaB’s. But “Potsy” was still wearing the Spoked-P Friday night when Providence and Bridgeport squared off, all but wiping out the chance he’d fly across the continent on Saturday to be here for the puck drop at 10:08 p.m. ET.
Poitras entered the night with a blistering 4-4—8 his last five games, the type of production nonexistent on the varsity through the first 31 games of the season.
