Boston Bruins roster decisions are tightening with opening night against the New York Rangers at TD Garden days away, as lower-body and undisclosed injuries to forward Matt Poitras and defenseman Mason Lohrei complicate final cuts under coach Marco Sturm.
Sturm’s second training camp as head coach is winding down after exhibition wins over the Washington Capitals (3-2) and Philadelphia Flyers (5-1). Large pieces of the opening-night group took shape Wednesday at Warrior Ice Arena, even as two key auditions went quiet.
Poitras day-to-day after Tuesday lower-body injury
Poitras, 22, sustained a lower-body injury during Tuesday’s on-ice work and missed both Wednesday practice groups. Sturm labeled him day-to-day and acknowledged the timing is hard on a prospect who needed every rep in a short camp to prove he belongs on the 23-man roster.
“Those kinds of short camps, you want to show, you want to deliver,” Sturm said. Lost auditioning time with only about a week until puck drop can push a bubble forward behind healthier competitors, even when waiver status might otherwise favor keeping him.
Lohrei leaves practice early; tests pending
Lohrei, entering his fourth pro season, skated with Group A alongside Henri Jokiharju before leaving Wednesday’s workout early. Sturm said the defenseman was undergoing testing, with an update expected Thursday. If Lohrei cannot dress for the Rangers, Boston’s blue-line math tightens quickly.
Franchise defenseman Charlie McAvoy will miss the start of the season serving a six-game suspension, so the early pairings already lean on Nikita Zadorov with Connor Clifton and Hampus Lindholm with newcomer Will Borgen — a group Sturm’s staff has treated as the likely top four on opening night. Behind them, candidates such as Jonathan Aspirot, Jordan Harris, Frederic Brunet and Jokiharju are competing for remaining minutes.
Forward lines firming up as spots stay scarce
Sturm continues to mix combinations, but six established forwards appear locked into the top two lines heading toward the Rangers. Bottom-six and 13th-forward battles remain the hardest cuts in a camp with few openings. Exhibition production — including a strong showing from versatile depth pieces against Philadelphia — has only raised the bar for players still fighting for a sweater.
Wednesday’s group split underscored the hierarchy: Group A featured NHL regulars while Group B worked with players still pushing for Boston. Roster deadlines and waiver timing over the next several days will force choices even if medical updates on Poitras and Lohrei remain fluid.
What opening night at TD Garden could look like
The Bruins are scheduled to open the regular season against the Rangers at TD Garden on Tuesday, Sept. 29. Between now and then, Boston has remaining preseason work — including a Philadelphia trip with a more AHL-flavored lineup and a later dress rehearsal that should look closer to the opening-night group.
For fans tracking the black-and-gold depth chart, the story this week is less about surprise call-ups than about scarcity: McAvoy’s absence, two injury watches, and a coach who likes gritty bottom-six pieces such as Tanner Jeannot in the mix. Healthy or not, Poitras and Lohrei needed these final days; how quickly they return may decide whether they start the season in Boston or watching from the press box.
Waivers and cuts will move fast
NHL clubs must finalize opening-night rosters under tight waiver timelines. Even a day-to-day label on Poitras can force Boston to choose between protecting a prospect’s long-term path and filling a forward spot with someone who can play Tuesday. Lohrei’s testing results Thursday will similarly dictate whether Brunet or another left-shot defender vaults into a more permanent look.
Sturm has said repeatedly that camp is for trying combinations. With McAvoy unavailable for the first six games, those experiments now collide with necessity: the pairings that looked like top-four locks Wednesday may have to absorb extra minutes until October 13, when McAvoy is eligible to return against San Jose on a four-game road trip.
