The Boston Bruins will take on a much tougher Minnesota Wild defense on Saturday, Nov. 14.
Minnesota is getting one of its best players back for the 7 p.m. ET matchup at TD Garden. Defenseman Brock Faber will make his season debut after recovering from a fractured skull.
The news comes from The Athletic‘s Michael Russo, who confirmed Faber’s return Saturday afternoon.
Russo also reported that Wild center Joel Eriksson Ek will play. He left Minnesota’s 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday with an upper-body injury.
Faber’s return is a major boost for a team that has already won 14 of its first 21 games. For Boston, it adds another problem to an already difficult matchup.
Bruins Face $68 Million Defenseman in Season Debut
Faber has not played since Sept. 25, when a deflected puck struck him in the head during a preseason game against the Dallas Stars.
The 24-year-old suffered a skull fracture and underwent surgery two days later.
Minnesota placed him on injured reserve, leaving the Wild without one of their most reliable defensemen for the opening six weeks of the season.
Faber told the Minnesota Star Tribune that the injury and recovery were frightening, but he remained determined to return.
Faber finished last season with 15 goals and 36 assists for 51 points in 80 games. He added 10 points in 11 playoff appearances.
The former Calder Trophy runner-up also averaged 24:41 of ice time per game. Minnesota signed him to an eight-year, $68 million contract in July 2024.
His return gives the Wild another high-end defenseman alongside Quinn Hughes, who has 28 points in 21 games this season.
Bruins Look to Bounce Back Against Red-Hot Wild
The Bruins enter Saturday’s game with a 13-5-1 record after suffering a 5-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.
The defeat snapped Boston’s four-game winning streak and seven-game home winning streak.
Minnesota, meanwhile, has earned points in 10 consecutive games, going 8-0-2 during that stretch.
The Wild also defeated Boston 4-1 on Oct. 3, despite playing without Faber.
Bruins coach Marco Sturm knows his team cannot afford a similar performance Saturday.
“We’ve got to go back to playing good defense again,” Sturm said, according to the Bruins’ official website.
Boston will make changes to its own defense. Connor Clifton is returning to the lineup alongside Frederic Brunet, while Mason Lohrei will be a healthy scratch.
Jeremy Swayman will start in goal after allowing four goals against Montreal.
The Bruins now engage a Minnesota team that already boasts Hughes, Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy. With Faber and Eriksson Ek available, the Wild will be closer to full strength.
Boston will need a much better defensive effort to avoid a second loss to Minnesota this season.
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