Bruins d-man Brandon Carlo (upper body) exits game vs. Coyotes originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
BOSTON — The Bruins blue line has suffered another injury.
Veteran defenseman Brandon Carlo went to the locker room late in the first period and did not return to Saturday night’s game against the Arizona Coyotes at TD Garden. The team ruled him out early in the second period with an upper body injury.
Carlo took a heavy hit from Coyotes forward Liam O’Brien along the boards in the Bruins’ zone. Carlo’s head appeared to bang off the glass as a result of the hit. No penalty was called on O’Brien.
Carlo has dealt with multiple concussions in his NHL career, so the Bruins need to be very cautious with him.
Bruins forward Trent Frederic stuck up for his teammate and fought O’Brien early in the second period. It was a short fight.
The Bruins are already without defensemen Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk as they rehab from offseason shoulder surgeries. McAvoy isn’t expected to return until late November or early December, while Grzelcyk could potentially be back in a few weeks.
If Carlo misses any games, the Bruins will likely put Anton Stralman into the lineup. Stralman recently signed a one-year contract with the Bruins after coming to training camp on a PTO deal. Similar to Carlo, Stralman is a right shot and typically plays on that side.