VANCOUVER — A total of 120 minutes into their five-game road trip, the scuffling, hey-buddy-could-you-spare-a-goal Bruins have scored but twice — once on a power play (David Pastrnak vs. the Jets), and once on a penalty shot (Brad Marchand vs. the Kraken).
These are lean, trying times in the attack zone for the Black and Gold, 0-2-0 on the trip and with a season-worst goal differential of minus-23 as they head into Saturday night’s visit with Jake DeBrusk and the Canucks.
DeBrusk, who walked away in July as a free agent after nearly a decade with the Spoked-B brotherhood, leads Vancouver in goal scoring (14). The 28-year-old winger has been on fire of late, collecting eight goals and 9 points in the last seven games.
He tallied the opening strike in a 2-0 victory over the Bruins on Nov. 26 at TD Garden.
Never with more than 27 goals in a season during his time in the Hub of Hockey, DeBrusk is on pace to pot 41 — precisely the kind of pop and dangerousness his old team so desperately could use as the season creeps toward its halfway point.
Meanwhile, there was no word here Friday — a scheduled day off for the Bruins — about the health or availability of high-priced center Elias Lindholm, who exited midway through the second period of Thursday’s 5-1 loss in Seattle.
Lindholm sustained an upper-body injury and was pulled after logging only 6:56 of ice time. Hired in July for $54.25 million, the skilled Swedish pivot has delivered a paltry 3-10—13, adding little discernible presence to a top-six forward group which once included the speedy-yet-streaky DeBrusk.
As night fell in this foggy, drizzly seaside city, the Bruins had not announced a roster move, suggesting Lindholm will be upright, taking fluids, and good to go Saturday night. A training camp injury aside, Lindholm has been good to go all season, but minus good results.
The obvious move, cap and roster space allowing, would have been to call in Matt Poitras from AHL Providence, where he has been smoking hot of late, a month after his assignment to the WannaB’s. But “Potsy” was still wearing the Spoked-P Friday night when Providence and Bridgeport squared off, all but wiping out the chance he’d fly across the continent on Saturday to be here for the puck drop at 10:08 p.m. ET.
Poitras entered the night with a blistering 4-4—8 his last five games, the type of production nonexistent on the varsity through the first 31 games of the season.
Free agent pickup Jordan Oesterle, 32, was plugged into point duty on the No. 2 power-play unit on Thursday, filling the spot Mason Lohrei previously anchored at times of late. Lohrei, a minus-3 two nights earlier in an 8-1 beatdown at Winnipeg, was assigned to the press box for the night.
“I’d been playing the power play in Providence and it’s something I’ve done throughout my career,” said Oesterle, signed to a two-year deal over the summer by general manager Don Sweeney. “I’ve bounced around on it . . . first unit, second unit, no unit . . . something I’ve been comfortable with and I’m happy to do it.”
The Bruins had only one crack on the man advantage in Seattle and did not score as Oesterle logged but 1:10. For the night, riding with Charlie McAvoy on the No. 1 defense pairing, Oesterle rolled up 21:25 in ice time and landed four shots on net, the most among Bruins blue liners and second only to the half-dozen Pastrnak landed.
“A loss is always frustrating,” Oesterle noted postgame, “but I thought we had our chances to win. We’re doing a lot of good things to build on.”
Despite losing by four goals, the Bruins amassed a considerable advantage in shot attempts (86-57) and finished with a 34-21 edge in shots on net.
A rough ride
Coach Joe Sacco went with Joonas Korpisalo (21 shots/16 saves) in net at Seattle, following the rough ride Jeremy Swayman endured (35 shots/27 saves) two nights earlier in Winnipeg. It’s likely Swayman will get the call vs. the Canucks, leading to the two goaltenders splitting the final two stops on the trip, Tuesday in Calgary and Thursday in Edmonton . . . The Canucks are 3-0-3 (.750) in December and on Friday morning, following a 4-0 win over the Cup champ Panthers, held the No. 1 wild-card playoff spot in the West . . . The Bruins’ goal differential stood at minus-21 when Jim Montgomery was booted as bench boss. Prior to this trip, they had gone 7-2-0 under Sacco and sliced the differential nearly in half (minus-12) . . . Vancouver native son Parker Wotherspoon, if he suits up for the Bruins, will have another crack at scoring his first career NHL goal some eight-plus years after turning pro in the Islanders’ organization . . . Ex-Bruin backliner Derek Forbort, who signed with Vancouver in the summer with DeBrusk and Danton Heinen, returned Thursday night after a six-week hiatus due to injury and logged a stout 19:39 . . . Tyler Johnson, who subbed in for Marc McLaughin in Seattle, finished a staggering minus-4.
