Bruins winger Tim Schaller exited Boston’s 6-1 win over the Red Wings midway through the first period Wednesday night, the score still 0-0, when he banged heavily into the rear boards in the Detroit zone.
The 6-foot-2-inch, 220-pound Schaller, a tenacious presence on the fourth line’s left wing, lost his footing near the goal line and crashed feet-first into the base of the boards.
In obvious pain, Schaller, 26, painfully struggled to regain his feet but made his way to the bench and then disappeared for the night — his action complete after four shifts and 3:36 of ice time. He hurt an ankle or lower leg in the crash.
“I don’t want to speculate, but I am sure we will put out a release [on the injury] tomorrow,’’ said coach Bruce Cassidy. “I am sure he will have a doctor’s visit and we’ll go from there.’’
The Bruins had two forwards scratched: Peter Cehlarik and Matt Beleskey. If Schaller needs time off, Beleskey would be the logical choice to fill the gap as the No. 4 left wing.
Spooner sits
A concussion pushed Ryan Spooner to the sidelines, a pair of dull hands did the same for Cehlarik. Both were sitting in the Garden press box Wednesday night.
The Bruins announced early Tuesday evening that Spooner suffered a concussion in Monday’s 4-2 loss at Ottawa. Viktor Stalberg smacked the side of Spooner’s head with his elbow at 8:36 of the third period, a hit that sent Stalberg to the penalty box for two minutes (interference).
Cehlarik, who had been playing left wing on a second line with David Krejci and David Pastrnak, collected two assists in his second game, but then went 0-0—0 in his next eight, leading Cassidy to give rookie a night off against the Winged Wheels.
“He’s a little bit snakebit,’’ noted Cassidy, who added Cehlarik to the varsity lineup soon after he took over the job Feb. 7 from Claude Julien. “If we were sitting here and he had three of four goals, it might be a different conversation. But the facts are he doesn’t.’’
If it were earlier in the season, added Cassidy, he might allow Cehlarik’s slump “to play out a little longer.’’
Drew Stafford, acquired from Winnipeg last Wednesday at the trade deadline, took Cehlarik’s spot at left wing on the No. 2 line, scored his first goal as a Bruin, and added an assist.
“Give Peter a chance to go [to the press box], watch the game up there,’’ said Cassidy. “I think the area we are looking for improvement from him is being strong on pucks, managing the puck. That’s the curse of a lot of young players when they start playing against men — and he’s not different, he’s going through a bit of it now.’’
Austin Czarnik grabbed Spooner’s third-line center spot, with Frank Vatrano on his left and Jimmy Hayes on his right. Hayes had been scratched the last two games, ceding his spot to the newly acquired Stafford, who has seen only limited duty on the left side over the span of his career.
“You’ve got to be ready for anything, right?’’ said Stafford, who was told upon arriving in the Hub that he might be flipped to his off wing. “It’s part of trying to be professional about it and making sure that I am ready for whatever kind of opportunity. I’ll do my best to help contribute and hopefully be part of the solution here.’’
A few years ago, noted Cassidy, the Bruins put together an effective line with two righthanded wingers, with Blake Wheeler and Michael Ryder flanking Krejci.
“They were pretty good,’’ said Cassidy. “It has its advantages. And [Stafford] has been in the league long enough to know, along the boards, if he is taking it on his backhand, he’ll have to be a little bit more aware of his pressure points. He’ll have less time and probably be using his feet a little more often.’’
Moving day
With Spooner out, Krejci also moved up the order a notch, manning Spooner’s spot at the right half-wall on the club’s No. 1 power-play unit to start the night. He was joined by Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron, with Pastrnak and Torey Krug at the points.
Czarnik moved into Krejci’s spot at center on the No. 2 unit, flanked by Vatrano and David Backes, with Colin Miller and the versatile Stafford as the shooters. The Bruins were scoreless in thier two power-play chances against the Red Wings.
“As a smaller guy, he’s had to learn what he can get away with and what he can’t,’’ Cassidy said of Czarnik, who was called up after playing his most recent five games with AHL Providence. “He’s a smart guy. He’s got a good hockey IQ. He thinks the game well. It has to be one of his best assets — that and a high motor. If he’s not playing with a high motor, his effectiveness will decrease. We expect an energy guy, using his speed . . . quickness, I guess, is the better word. He’s got to use it, use it all the time. I think that’s how he stays in this league.’’
Points taken
Through Tuesday night’s games, Marchand was one of only 10 NHL full-timers this season scoring at better than a point-per-game rate (66 games/68 points) for 1.03 points per game.
The league leaders: Sidney Crosby (1.19) and Evgeni Malkin (1.18).
Marchand, who had a relatively slow first half of the season from a goal-scoring perspective, has been on a career-high tear since late January, connecting for 15 goals and 10 assists over 17 games, including a pair of goals Wednesday night.
Entering the season, Marchand’s scoring averaging was 0.63 points per game (454 games/288 points). He is tied for second among the league’s point-getters this season. Of the 10 players scoring at better than a point-per-game clip, Marchand with 32 goals ranks second only to Crosby (34).
On a roll
The Bruins are 9-3-0 under Cassidy’s tutelage, including 6-1-0 at the Garden (18-14-0 there this season) . . . The Wings are 1-4-1 in their last six games and have gone four straight games (0 for 7) without a power-play goal.
Kevin Paul Dupont can be reached at kevin.dupont@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeKPD.
