Following an optional practice on Tuesday, Boston Bruins coach Jim Montgomery stated that defenseman Andrew Peeke will be absent for the next week due to an unexplained ailment. He will not accompany the Bruins to Toronto for games three and four.
Peeke seemed to be injured after blocking a shot with his hand in the second period of the Bruins’ 3-2 Game 2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday. He missed the third period.
Andrew Peeke out week to week @NHLBruins.
– Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) April 23, 2024.
Peeke, who was initially picked by the Columbus Blue Jackets, was sold to Boston during the NHL trade deadline in March in exchange for Jakub Zboril and a third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.
Peeke played in the Bruins’ final 15 regular-season games, recording two assists and a plus-2 rating while averaging 17:36 per game. He is minus-1 in two playoff games, but he only played 10:20 before departing in Game 2.
Parker Wotherspoon is first in line to replace Peeke in the lineup. Wotherspoon was a healthy scratch for the first two games of the series, but he was solid throughout the regular season, recording six assists and finished with a plus-8 rating in 41 games.
Boston also summoned Mason Lohrei, 23, who has not played since April 2 in Nashville. The young defenseman also played 41 regular-season games and was more offensive than Wotherspoon, scoring 13 points (four goals, nine assists).
Other injury news: Bruins defenseman Derek Forbort is still out with an injury, but will travel with the team to Toronto. He was called up from a long-term injured reserve American Hockey League conditioning stint on Monday and is categorized as day-to-day.
The Bruins dominated Game 1 with a 5-1 win and will now be forced to respond to a Game 2 setback. The third game of the series will take place on Wednesday in Toronto.
