Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said Wednesday that right wing Chris Wagner has returned to Boston for tests on his injured right arm and will not be available for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Wagner hurt his arm blocking a Justin Faulk slap shot in the third period of Tuesday’s 2-1 victory that gave the Bruins a 3-0 lead in the series. The fourth-liner, who scored the first goal of Game 3, had his arm in a sling after the game.
“You never want to see injuries like that, but that’s testament to him and what he’s willing to give for this team and block a shot like that,” teammate Charlie Coyle said. “That gets us fired up. It’s the little things. They add up. That’s a big loss for us.”
Noel Acciari is expected to take Wagner’s spot on the fourth line alongside Sean Kuraly and Joakim Nordstrom. Acciari had been sidelined with an upper-body injury but was declared fit to play earlier in the week.