Brad Marchand sits for first time this season following hit in Pittsburgh
'Not much [of an update], same as [Saturday],' Bruins interim coach
Joe Sacco
said before Sunday's
Charlie Coyle
said he hasn't checked in on Marchand too much, preferring to let him rest.
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'You just hope he's feeling well and doing well, and you hate to see guys go down and, in that way, too, but hopefully he's doing OK and hopefully we'll see him soon enough,' said Coyle.
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Georgii Merkulov
took Marchand's left wing spot on the second line with
Elias Lindholm
at center and birthday boy Coyle on the right side.
Merkulov had played on the third line Saturday.
'I thought he made some good plays, some sneaky plays offensively,' Sacco said. 'He's good with the puck, he sees the ice. The decisions at the blue lines are something that we have to continue to manage, make sure that time and score where we're at, that he makes good plays at the blue line. But I thought you could see some offensive ability there. The ability to make some plays in tight areas.'
Merkulov played just over 13 minutes against the Wild. He had a hit and a blocked shot and was also penalized for holding.
Justin Brazeau
drew back into the lineup and played on the third line with
Matt Poitras
and
Cole Koepke
.
Jakub Lauko fitting in with Wild
Old friend
Jakub Lauko
is recently back from a lower-body injury and in the lineup for the Wild.
The Bruins traded Lauko and the 122d pick in the 2024 draft (
Aron Kiviharju
) to the Wild in June for
Vinni Lettieri
and the 110th pick, which Boston used to select
Elliott Groenewold
.
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'The trade was out of nowhere, so it was a shock for me, but that's how it works with hockey and yeah, I'm happy to be here,' said Lauko, who played left wing on Minnesota's fourth line. 'I always liked my time in Boston and in Providence, so it's been a big part of my hockey career, a big part of my life. So, I like it. I always have good memories from my time there and always, always been honored to be part of an Original 6 team.'
Lauko was a fan favorite in Boston for his energetic style and willingness to stick up for his teammates.
'Yeah, it's probably because I try to play hard and just not afraid to drop the gloves and everything,' said Lauko. 'But I'm just here to do my job so at the end of the day it's my job to do that and obviously I'm glad that people like me there.'
Lauko has been limited by several injuries this season. Sunday's game was just his 37th of the season. He has 3 goals and 6 points.
Lauko was excited to play against the Bruins and still keeps tabs on his ex-mates.
'Especially Czech guys, [
David Pastrnak
and
Pavel Zacha
] and [
Jeremy
]
Swayman
, too,' he said. 'Those guys, I've known them for a long time.'
Lauko kept the No. 94, which was assigned to him in Boston.
'My number was always 13, but 13, it was [Coyle's] in Boston and now it's [
Yakov Trenin's
] here,' he said with a smile. 'So, I kept 94 and 9 plus 4 is 13 anyway so it stuck with me.'
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Captainless club for one day
With Marchand out, nobody wore the captain's C. Pastrnak, Coyle, and
Brandon Carlo
wore the 'As' as the alternates. Coyle has been wearing it since
Charlie McAvoy
was shelved with a shoulder ailment . . . The Wild acquired winger
Gustav Nyquist
from the Predators Saturday night, and he was in their starting lineup against the Bruins . . . The last time the Wild won a 1-0 game at home was Nov. 17, 2016, also against the Bruins . . . The Wild scored first for a league-high 37th time this season (tied with the Blue Jackets) . . . The Bruins are off Monday and will host the Predators Tuesday before another road trip to Raleigh (Thursday) and Tampa (Saturday) . . . Song of the night: 'Jump Around,' by House of Pain.
Jim McBride can be reached at
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