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Bruins' Pavel Zacha leaves game with upper-body injury

Originally posted on Daily Faceoff | By Mike Gould | Last updated Jan 29, 2026 11:49 PM ET

Boston Bruins center Pavel Zacha left Thursday’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers with an upper-body injury midway through the second period and did not return.

Zacha, 28, netted his 15th goal of the season in the first period of the game at TD Garden but finished his last shift at the 13:05 mark of the middle frame.

The Bruins announced the reason for Zacha’s departure through their official social media channels shortly thereafter.

Boston led Philadelphia by a 3-1 score at the time of Zacha’s departure and went on to win 6-3. Zacha logged 10:46 of ice time over 12 shifts before exiting the game.

UPDATE: Pavel Zacha (upper-body) will not return to tonight's game.
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) January 30, 2026

A product of Brno, Czechia, Zacha is currently in his fourth season with the Bruins since being acquired from the New Jersey Devils in 2022. The 6-foot-4 center has 15 goals and 37 points through 54 games with Boston this year.

The Devils originally selected Zacha in the first round (No. 6 overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft. The former Sarnia Sting standout made his NHL debut with New Jersey in 2015-16 and established himself as a capable middle-six NHL center over parts of seven seasons with his draft club.

Following the 2021-22 season, the Devils traded Zacha to Boston in exchange for veteran forward Erik Haula. Zacha surpassed the 20-goal and 50-point marks in each of his first two seasons with the Bruins, having never done so in New Jersey.

Through 682 career games over parts of 11 NHL seasons with the Bruins and Devils, Zacha has amassed 140 goals and 379 points. He’s added 12 points (one goal, 11 assists) in 25 career playoff contests with the two clubs.

With their victory over the Flyers on Thursday, the Bruins remain in the second wild card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with a 32-20-3 record and 67 points in 55 games. They’ll return to action on Feb. 1 with a visit to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

This article first appeared on Daily Faceoff and was syndicated with permission.

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