Bruins' Dougie Hamilton out indefinitely as team fights for playoff spot

Dougie Hamilton has been the Boston Bruins’ best defenseman this season. He’s their second-leading scorer with 10 goals and 41 points and is the best possession player among their defense corps.

So that’s why when Claude Julien revealed Tuesday that Hamilton would be out “indefinitely” with what’s believed to be a shoulder injury, the Bruins’ already teetering playoff hopes took a shot to the gut. Zach Trotman, who partnered with Matt Bartkowski during practice, will draw into the lineup.

According to D.J. Bean of WEEI, a source tells him that Hamilton's injury "is a weeks thing, and not a months thing," and a postseason return, should they get there, isn't out of the question.

But all signs appear to be pointing toward “no” on the Bruins’ magic playoff 8-ball. As Lambert pointed out on Monday, things are going Ottawa’s way right now, and have been for some time, while Boston is trending in the opposite direction. Their possession numbers are down and 34 even strength goals allowed in 22 games is nothing to be proud of. And when you factor in Hamilton's absence and take a look at the Bruins’ WOWY (with or without you) stats, the mountain to climb just got bigger.

The Bruins currently sit one point behind the red-hot Senators for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Ottawa holds a game in-hand, along with the mystical winning powers of the Hamburglar. And let's not forget those pesky Florida Panthers are lurking.

While Hamilton exits the lineup (he'll be re-evaluated later this week), David Krejci may getting back soon after skating again on Tuesday. "Once I feel good enough and I feel like I can help the team, then I'll be back," he said, via ESPN Boston.

The Bruins play again Thursday night when they host the Anaheim Ducks.

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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy

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