Gino Hard reports that Bruins forward James Hagens has been placed on injured reserve after a cross-check from Samuel Girard.
Hagens went down in Pittsburgh on Thursday night, and the early scare around James Hagens leaving that game now has a price tag attached.
Hard noted that the 20-year-old will miss at least seven days.
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Boston can feel that one. Hagens has 6 goals and 6 assists in 17 games this season, and he has been a real piece of a team that keeps winning.
The seventh overall pick in 2025 also carries a +7 rating, the kind of number that tells you he has been on the ice when things go right.
| GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | |
| 2026-27 | 17 | 6 | 6 | 12 | +7 |
| Career | 19 | 6 | 7 | 13 | +8 |
His season is already bigger than his first taste of the league. Hagens has 19 career games, so nearly everything he has done in the NHL has come this year.
Girard, for his part, has 1 goal and 6 assists in 13 games for the Penguins. The post says nothing about a penalty call or any discipline, so there is nothing more to say on that front for now.
How the Bruins absorb the loss up front
The cushion is real. Marco Sturm's team is 12-4-1, sits first in the Atlantic Division and third in the NHL, and has won three straight.
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | DIFF | |
| 1. Boston Bruins | 17 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 25 | +24 |
| 2. Montreal Canadiens | 16 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 23 | +6 |
| 3. Tampa Bay Lightning | 15 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 22 | +10 |
| 4. Ottawa Senators | 17 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 21 | +2 |
| 5. Florida Panthers | 16 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 20 | +5 |
| 6. Buffalo Sabres | 16 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 19 | -4 |
| 7. Toronto Maple Leafs | 17 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 18 | +6 |
| 8. Detroit Red Wings | 17 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 17 | -3 |
That includes the 6-2 win in Pittsburgh on Thursday, the same night Hagens got hurt. A team that goes plus-24 in goal differential can survive a short absence from a forward.
Still, a seven-day minimum is the floor, not a return date. Boston has to find offense from a spot that was producing, and no timeline beyond "at least seven days" has been given.
The Bruins are back on the ice Sunday against the Panthers, and the first look at who fills Hagens' spot comes with it.
Quick hits
CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS: Connor Bedard skated between Tyler Bertuzzi and Roman Kantserov at morning skate ahead of tonight's game in Carolina. Kantserov on Bedard's wing is worth watching.
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TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS: NHL Rosters reports the Leafs recalled defenseman Artur Akhytamov from the Marlies on game day against the Canadiens. A late call, but a call all the same.
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DALLAS STARS: The NHL's status report lists Miro Heiskanen as doubtful for tonight against the Sharks. That is not the news Dallas wanted on game day.
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WASHINGTON CAPITALS: Sammi Silber reports Logan Thompson starts in goal today against the Panthers, with no other lineup changes.
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FLORIDA PANTHERS: NHL Rosters reports Anton Lundell will not play today as the Panthers visit the Capitals. He is considered day-to-day.
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Can the Bruins stay atop the Atlantic without James Hagens?
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