Marco Sturm makes it official for David Pastrnak: He will not travel with the team

Sturm hoped the star winger would skate today at practice, but Sturm said Pastrnak could not get on the ice. That alone signaled trouble.

Now he will miss tomorrow's game, marking his third straight absence, and the unease around his day-to-day label keeps growing.

Sturm kept insisting Pastrnak is improving, but improvement without skating only stretches patience. His absence changes the entire flow of a game for the Bruins.

There was finally one piece of relief. Viktor Arvidsson returned to practice and looked sharp beside Casey Mittelstadt and Pavel Zacha.

Sturm also commented on the possibility of Arvidsson returning to the lineup ahead of their rematch against the Red Wings, and he is expected to be good to go.

Arvidsson has always thrived in secondary scoring roles, and Boston desperately needs someone to stabilize its right flank while Pastrnak recovers. If he returns tomorrow, the Bruins will at least regain a proven top-nine driver.

Here is the update that set the tone for the day.

Sturm expects Arvidsson to be good to go in Detroit, and that alone softens the blow. But the Bruins still face a challenge without their biggest offensive weapon. As the week unfolds, clarity on Pastrnak becomes the next step, because Boston cannot keep patching holes without knowing when he will return.

Are you concerned that David Pastrnak is now missing a third straight Boston Bruins game?