Boston Bruins
The injury brought the rookie’s stellar season to a halt.
James Hagens exited Thursday’s game after being cross-checked. AP Photo/Wally Skalij
The red-hot Boston Bruins were dealt a blow to their successful young core on Saturday.
The team announced rookie forward James Hagens was placed on injured reserve after leaving Thursday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins early in the third period. The Bruins recalled Mikey Eyssimont from Providence as the corresponding move.
Hagens, 20, took a cross-check to the lower back by Penguins defenseman Sam Girard. The hit immediately left Hagens in pain, and he went to the locker room for the rest of the game.
Take a close-up, slowed-down look at the play here:
The rookie sensation can expect to miss “a few weeks” while on IR, according to head coach Marco Sturm.
“It’s definitely gonna be a few weeks,” Sturm said after practice on Saturday. “Very unfortunate, it’s not a dirty play or anything like that. Just got him at the wrong spot there and so he just needs some time to heal.”
Despite losing Hagens, the Bruins secured their 12th win of the season on Thursday to improve to 12-4-1. They’re the top team in the Atlantic Division and are tied with the Minnesota Wild for the most wins in the NHL.
Boston’s 24-goal differential is good for the best in the league.
Youngsters like Hagens have played a significant role in Boston’s early success. His six goals are tied with Elias Lindholm and Fraser Minten for the second-most on the team behind David Pastrnak (8). The Bruins are in the top-5 in goals scored (63) with much help from the youth movement.
Hagens is also tied with Pavel Zacha for the fifth-most points (12) behind Pastrnak (22), Lindholm (14), Morgan Geekie (13), and JJ Peterka (13).
Boston can expect to feel Hagens’s absence while he’s sidelined. His production has been an instrumental part of the team’s hot run in the first month of the 2026-27 campaign.
Kaley Brown
Kaley Brown is a sports producer who covers breaking and trending news about the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox.
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