Bruins lose another top-six forward to injury
The Bruins will be without Casey Mittelstadt for at least a week, it would appear.
Sep 29, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins center Casey Mittelstadt (11) plays the puck through the neutral zone during the first period against the Philadelphia Flyers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images
Winners of six straight, things are going pretty well for the Bruins.
But the Bruins will remain without yet another top-six skater for the foreseeable future, as Bruins head coach Marco Sturm provided an update on Casey Mittelstadt following Monday's practice at Warrior Ice Arena.
“Week-to-week," Sturm said of Mittelstadt, who appeared to suffer the injury in last Thursday's win over the Senators, and his current timeline for a potential return to the lineup. "But I think he’s doing better than we expected, so hopefully we can get him on the ice as soon as possible.”
As noted, Mittelstadt appeared to suffer the injury in last Thursday's win over the Senators in a second-period collision with the Sens' Jake Sanderson. There did appear to be some knee-on-knee contact on the hit, though Mittelstadt would return to the ice in the third period and finish the game.
Mittelstadt has recorded four goals and nine points, along with eight blocks and a 59 percent success rate at the face-off dot, in 15 games for the B’s this season. His loss also leaves the Bruins down two top-six forwards, as the club remains without top-line center Elias Lindholm, who is also considered week-to-week with a lower-body ailment of his own.
Sturm's update on Mittelstadt came after the 26-year-old missed last Saturday's game in Toronto, and after the club summoned Alex Steeves up from AHL Providence to skate in his place on Boston's second line.
Steeves finished Saturday's win with one shot and a plus-1 rating for the B's, and came as advertised, according to Sturm.
“That’s what I pictured when we called [Steeves] up. That’s what I pictured what we need and what we [will] get out of him," Sturm said after practice. "It doesn’t matter which line he’s on, he’s just playing the right way. Lot of energy, lot of details. He fit right in to our group, and that line.”
Steeves remained in a second-line role for Monday's practice, too, as he skated to the left of Pavel Zacha and Viktor Arvidsson.
The Bruins will aim for their seventh straight win Tuesday night when they host Auston Matthews and the Maple Leafs at TD Garden.
