The Boston Bruinswill be without their top center on Saturday night against the Los Angeles Kings.
Ahead of the game, Marco Sturm announced the Bruins will not have Pavel Zacha in the lineup. The 29-year-old has been ruled out with an upper-body injury, and Sturm said he is out day-to-day.
“Pavel Zacha will be out [tonight],” Sturm said to reporters in Los Angeles. “He will be day-to-day with an upper-body injury.”
Sean Kuraly will draw into the lineup, resuming his previous spot on the fourth line. Matt Poitras will slide up to center the second line, while Fraser Minten will take on first-line duties.
Projected Lines:Bruins Game 9: Notes, Lines, and How to Watch vs. Kings (UPDATED)Zacha finished Friday night’s game against the Anaheim Ducks with two assists in 17:04 of ice time. His last shift came halfway through the third period, and he did not skate in the last 8:59 of the Bruins’ 4-2 win. He was on the receiving end of a hit from Drew Helleson on his last shift.
Video of Helleson’s hit is hard to track down a day later. However, you can see the 6-foot-3 defenseman start to make contact with Zacha in the Bruins’ game highlights video:
Through eight games, Zacha is sixth on the team with five points (2-3–5). He extended his point streak to four games on Friday night in his first multi-point night of the season. He has spent the entirety of the four-game win streak centering David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie on the first line.
Los Angeles is the third stop of the Bruins’ four-game road trip. They will have the day off on Sunday, travel to Dallas, and hit the practice ice on Monday. The road trip concludes on Tuesday night against the Dallas Stars, and then the Bruins will return home for two games.
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