Jim McBride of the Boston Globe just reported that Matt Poitras, who took an elbow to the face Monday night, is not at Bruins practice on Tuesday.
The Bruins center had only just come back into the lineup. Matt Poitras re-entering the lineup against Vegas was the news less than 24 hours ago, and now his status is a question.
McBride noted that Poitras was not on the ice with the team this morning.
Nothing in the posts we have gives a reason for the absence or any diagnosis. That matters, because a missed practice after a hit like that is exactly what fans will read into, and the facts don't support a conclusion yet.
Here is what is known. Braeden Bowman was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct for the elbow in the second period against Vegas, according to Conor Ryan and Jack Studley.
Studley described the moment live, saying Poitras was bleeding badly and on his way down the tunnel.
Poitras did return to the bench wearing a full bubble shield, per McBride and Studley. His night ended with 3:13 of ice time in a 3-2 shootout win.
What the Poitras absence means for Boston's lineup
Marco Sturm had no update on Poitras after the game, Studley reported.
So the Bruins gave nothing Monday, and Tuesday's practice sheet has raised the question rather than answered it. Poitras has 4 goals and 7 points in 12 games this season, and he had just worked his way back in.
Boston sits first in the Atlantic Division at 11-4-1, so there is no panic in the standings. But a center who is producing is not someone a coach wants to lose, even for a short stretch.
Whether the absence is precautionary or something more is unknown, and nobody should pretend otherwise. The next real answer should come from Sturm or the team's injury report before the Bruins visit Pittsburgh on Thursday, Nov. 5.
