With David Pastrnak (undisclosed) and Pavel Zacha (undisclosed) added to a growing list of noteworthy injured players for the Bruins, Georgii Merkulov and Riley Tufte will draw into the lineup on Friday against the New York Rangers. The 25-year-old Merkulov has spent the entirety of the 2025-26 season campaign in the AHL, scoring 14 points (6G / 8A) in 17 games.
Zacha has missed only four games over the previous three seasons, but will not play on Friday against the New York Rangers, missing his first contest of 2025-26 due to an undisclosed injury and being listed as day-to-day. The 28-year-old Czech forward has 17 points (5G / 12A) and joins a growing list of noteworthy Bruins players sidelined due to injuries.
A Bruins team that is already without the services of several key players will also be without Pastrnak on Friday against the New York Rangers. The 29-year-old elite Czech forward has 29 points (11G / 18A) in 25 games, factoring in on 37 percent of Boston's goals this season. Pastrnak has played all 82 games in three straight seasons and will miss his first contest of 2025-26, out day-to-day.
Despite several major player departures since last season and several key injuries in 2025-26, the Bruins are off to a competitive 14-11-0 start, due in part to strong play between the pipes from Jeremy Swayman. That said, the Bruins will turn to Korpisalo on Friday afternoon against the New York Rangers. The 31-year-old Korpisalo has an ugly 3.43 GAA and .878 SV% in nine games (4-5-0) and will be hard-pressed for a Bruins’ victory with David Pastrnak (undisclosed) out of the lineup.
Mittelstadt has not played in three weeks, recovering from an upper-body injury, but will draw back into the lineup on Friday against the New York Rangers. The 27-year-old forward is averaging 14:32 time-on-ice and has nine points (4G / 5A) in 15 games this season. With a myriad of injuries in Boston's top-six, Mittelstadt will likely be due for a sizeable increase in his deployment in his return to the ice.
Blumel signed with the Bruins in the offseason, hoping he would have a shot at making the team's opening-night roster, but spent the first six weeks of the season in the AHL. With a myriad of injuries for the Bruins, Blumel has had a favorable deployment in three games, including playing on the top powerplay unit, but he has yet to record a point. The 25-year-old has 13 points (2G / 11A) in 13 games with Providence (AHL) this season.
After a forgetful 2024-25 season, posting a career-worst 3.11 GAA and .892 SV% in 58 games (22-29-7), Swayman has been terrific in 2025-26. The 27-year-old American netminder has an absurd .800 quality start percentage, posting a 2.79 GAA and .909 SV% in 15 games this season (9-6-0). He has allowed three or fewer goals in all but three of his outings this season. The Bruins enter Wednesday's contest as +142 road underdogs against an Islanders team that has scored just one goal in its last two games (1-1-0).
The Bruins are 7-3-0 in their last 10, but have lost two straight and hope to return to the win column with Swayman tending the twine on Friday against the Los Angeles Kings. Swayman was solid in his most recent outing, saving 29 of 32 shots (.906 SV%), but lost 3-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes. After a shaky start to the season, the 26-year-old Swayman has a 2.50 GAA and .920 SV% in his last six games (5-1-0). The Bruins enter Friday's contest as +172 road underdogs against a Kings team that played last night and lost 4-3 to the San Jose Sharks in a shootout.
Jeffrey Viel (undisclosed) will not play on Friday, allowing Tufte to re-enter the lineup. Tufte made his season debut for Boston earlier this week and scored a goal. The 27-year-old Tufte has 16 points (8G / 8A) in 13 games with the Providence Bruins (AHL) this season.
The Bruins have played well lately, with wins in eight of their last 10 (8-2-0), but are battling through a myriad of injuries. The team will turn to Korpisalo between the pipes on Wednesday against the Anaheim Ducks. The 31-year-old Korpisalo has had an up-and-down 2025-26 campaign, posting a subpar 3.35 GAA and .878 SV% in eight outings (4-4-0). The Bruins enter Wednesday's contest as +150 road underdogs against a Ducks team coming off an exciting 3-2 overtime victory over the Utah Mammoth.
McAvoy exited Boston's 3-2 win over Montreal on Saturday after only 13:41 time-on-ice due to an upper-body injury and has not played since. The 27-year-old defenseman successfully underwent surgery on Wednesday, but it's unclear when he will return and if this will impact his availability for the upcoming winter Olympics. He has 14 points (0G / 14A) through 19 games this season.
