Bruins’ Pavel Zacha leaves game to attend family matter
The Boston Bruins have announced that Pavel Zacha has left Tuesday’s game against the New Jersey Devils to attend a family matter.
UPDATE: Pavel Zacha has left tonight's game to attend to a family matter.
At this point in time, the purpose of the family matter has not been disclosed by the Bruins. It may or may not be confirmed by Zacha or the team at a later time.
Zacha played the entirety of the first period of Tuesday’s game, but did not return for the second period, with the Bruins announcing his departure shortly after the start of the second. Considering the Bruins were already up 4-0 after the first period, they were in a position where they could be without Zacha for the remainder of the game. In 4:58 of ice time, Zacha had one assist in the four-goal period, a primary assist on Viktor Arvidsson’s marker to make it 4-0 on Zacha’s last shift.
The Bruins were also in a position where they could be without Zacha because Tuesday’s game was, for the most part, one of low stakes. While the Bruins needed a win to lock in the first Wild Card spot in the standings and secure a first-round matchup with the Buffalo Sabres, they had already clinched their playoff spot on Saturday, so their season was not on the line.
With the Bruins playing their last game of the regular season on Tuesday, Zacha will have plenty of time to attend his family matter and return to the team for the playoffs. While Boston’s schedule has not been announced yet, the playoffs are scheduled to begin on Saturday, meaning they’ll likely play on Saturday or Sunday.
Zacha finishes his regular season adding to what has been a great regular season for him, as he set career-high marks in goals (30) and points (64), along with 34 assists, in 77 games. While he’s seen his game take big steps since a trade to Boston four years ago, evolving from a 30-point player to a 50-point player, this is a new level for the Brno, Czechia product.