The Boston Bruins have been playing without two key starters as both Derek Forbort and Trent Frederic have been sidelined with injuries. Forbort has been out a few weeks as he has been recovering from a broken finger that required surgery which he suffered on November 2nd in Pittsburgh. Frederic got banged up the other night against the Tampa Bay Lightning when he crashed hard into the boards as he attempted to lay out a Lightning player. While it looked worse at the moment, it just turned out he was a little banged up but nothing more serious as he is set to make his return after missing just two games.
The Bruins haven’t missed a beat while these two have been out, as they have lost just two games in the month of November and three all season. Forbort is key to the Bruins’ defense and penalty kill unit as he is one of their best shot blockers and is not afraid to put his body on the line. Having him back will be a significant plus to the team as it provides them with depth and stability. The Bruins recently waived fellow defensemen Anton Stralman to make cap space for Forbort, who they activated off LTIR.
Prior to the injury, Frederic was enjoying a solid game as he recorded an assist before going down. On the season, he has three goals and three assists to go along with a plus-9 as he has played a well-rounded game under new head coach Jim Montgomery. Fans are still waiting to see Freddy breakout, and hopefully, now that he is healthy, he can get back on track to be the third liner that scores 12 to 15 goals a season while bringing hard hits and energy to this team.
The Bruins are set to face the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight at TD Garden as they play their second game of a four-game home stretch. The Bruins previously beat the Lightning 5-3 on the road last week and now look to go up 2-0-0 on the season against their division rival.
The puck drop is set for 7 PM EST and will be aired on NESN. The Bruins enter tonight’s game as the favorites with a -165 money line and the O/U set at 6.5.
