The Boston Bruins have just begun adjusting to life without Elias Lindholm — who was placed on injured reserve on Saturday — and they'll be without two other key players in a rivalry matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena.
Both Charlie McAvoy and Casey Mittelstadt will be unavailable for the all-Atlantic Division clash, reported NHL.com. McAvoy didn't travel with the team to Ontario due to personal reasons, while Mittelstadt sustained a lower-body injury in a 3-2 overtime win over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night.
With both Lindholm and Mittelstadt unavailable, the Bruins called up forward Alex Steeves from AHL Providence; the 25-year-old will make his season debut against the Leafs.
Steeves has amassed eight points in nine games with the Providence Bruins. He appeared in 59 games with the Toronto Marlies in 2024-25, leading the team with 62 points, including 36 goals. He is slated to play on the second line with Pavel Zacha and Viktor Arvidsson, per Daily Faceoff.
Having none of Lindholm, McAvoy and Mittelstadt available is certainly not ideal for the franchise, but Boston has been one of the league's most potent teams over the last two weeks.
Bruins rolling after tough stretch
The Bruins began their 2025-26 season by winning three games in a row, which was quickly erased by a six-game losing streak between October 13-23.
But it's all been up from there; the B's have won five in a row and six in seven tries since then, going from 3-6 to 9-7 in the blink of an eye — and vaulting into third place in the Atlantic Division in the process.
It's been a remarkable turnaround; both Jeremy Swayman and Joonas Korpisalo have looked great between the pipes after their respective struggles in October.
Things are only going to get tougher without a couple of key players, especially against a Maple Leafs team that has won three in a row and five of six.
It's an all-too-familiar matchup between the Eastern Conference foes; Saturday marks the 47th head-to-head matchup between David Pastrnak and William Nylander, who played junior hockey together before debuting in the NHL.
“The two, who played junior hockey together in Sweden and were each first-round picks in the 2014 NHL Draft, are off to great individual starts,” wrote NHL.com. “Pastrnak leads the Bruins with 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) and Nylander leads the Maple Leafs with 20 points (six goals, 14 assists).”
It'll be interesting to see if the Bruins can make it six wins in a row for the first time this season, or whether the Leafs will come out on top and overtake them in the division.
Puck is set to drop just past 7:00 p.m. ET from Scotiabank Arena.
