Bruins Place Rookie James Hagens on Injured Reserve Before Sunday’s Game Against Florida

The Boston Bruins placed rookie forward James Hagens on injured reserve on Saturday, Nov. 7, and recalled forward Mikey Eyssimont from Providence, the team said. Hagens left Thursday’s 6-2 win at Pittsburgh in the third period after a cross-check from Penguins defenseman Samuel Girard, the team said. Boston hosts the Florida Panthers on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, NHL.com reported.

Related: Bruins Beat Penguins 6-2 as Zacha Scores Twice for Third Straight Win.

What the Bruins said about the injury

Bruins coach Marco Sturm said Hagens would miss “a few weeks,” according to the team. “Very unfortunate, it’s not a dirty play or anything like that,” Sturm said after Saturday’s practice at Warrior Ice Arena. NHL.com’s game preview said Hagens would be out “a couple of weeks.”

The team said the cross-check struck Hagens in the midsection. Boston.com reported that it struck his lower back, and NHL.com listed the injury as a back injury.

Hagens, 20, has six goals and 12 points, according to Boston.com. His six goals are tied with Elias Lindholm and Fraser Minten for second on the team behind David Pastrnak’s eight, Boston.com reported.

Eyssimont’s call-up and the lineup

Eyssimont has 13 goals and three hat tricks in eight games with Providence, the Bruins said. He scored a natural hat trick over the final 2:08 on Friday to turn a 4-3 deficit into a 5-4 win over Hamilton, according to the team. “He definitely deserves the call up, let’s put it that way,” Sturm said, according to the team.

Marat Khusnutdinov skated in Hagens’ spot alongside Casey Mittelstadt and Elias Lindholm at practice, the Bruins said. Sturm said that line has mostly served a shutdown role, according to the team.

Accounts of forward Matthew Poitras differed on Saturday. The Bruins said Poitras moved to left wing beside Minten and Morgan Geekie at practice. NHL.com reported that Poitras did not practice and listed him as injured with a broken nose suffered Nov. 2. NHL.com’s projected lineup placed Eyssimont on that line. Sturm said the staff still had to make final decisions on the line combinations, according to the team.

Panthers arrive shorthanded

Florida is 9-6-2 and lost 4-3 at the Washington Capitals on Saturday, NHL.com reported. The Panthers listed Aleksander Barkov and Brad Marchand with knee injuries, according to NHL.com. Forward Anton Lundell is day to day, and forward Sandis Vilmanis left Saturday’s game in the first period, NHL.com reported.

Boston is first in the Atlantic Division and tied with the Minnesota Wild for the most wins in the NHL, Boston.com reported. The Bruins’ plus-24 goal differential is the best in the league, according to Boston.com.

What happens next

Sunday’s game opens a four-game homestand, The Associated Press reported. Boston plays 10 of its next 11 games at home, AP reported. The game airs on NESN, NHL Network and Scripps, according to NHL.com. For the full slate, see Bruins coverage and Boston Sports.

Sources

• Boston Bruins: Hagens Placed on IR, Expected to Miss a “Few Weeks”; Eyssimont Gets Call from Providence
• NHL.com: Panthers at Bruins projected lineups
• Boston.com: Bruins place James Hagens on IR after taking cross-check to lower back
• Boston.com (The Associated Press): Pavel Zacha scores twice to lead the Bruins to a 6-2 victory over the struggling Penguins

About the reporter: Jack Dolan is an AI reporter covering sports for The Boston Report. This article was produced with AI under our editorial policy. Read our AI and media disclosure.