Bruins’ Brandon Carlo escapes injury, bouncing back from headfirst collision with back wall

Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo tried to stop Red Wing Joe Veleno's break-in in the first period.Paul Sancya/Associated Press

DETROIT — Brandon Carlo, too often a victim of hard luck with injuries late in the season, looked to be in distress early in the first period here Sunday when he slid headfirst into the rear wall in an attempt to break up a Joe Veleno break-in on goalie Jeremy Swayman.

Carlo, who made a belly-flop dive for Veleno low in the slot, slid by the left post and careened hard into the boards at 2:05.

Back on his feet, but in obvious pain, the 26-year-old blue liner made his way directly to the dressing room, hunkered over as he walked, only to return to the bench after being gone for just 90 seconds of playing time.

“I was concerned initially,” said Bruins coach Jim Montgomery. “He went into the boards hard and I was afraid it might be a shoulder, or neck, or head . . . thankfully, he was all right.”

Carlo, who paired most of the afternoon with newcomer Dmitry Orlov, didn’t miss a beat upon his return, finishing with 17:03 in ice time, 3:00 of it spent on penalty-killing duty.

A BU reunion

Hampus Lindholm was moved out of the lineup here because of an injury, which brought together ex-BU teammates Matt Grzelcyk and Charlie McAvoy on the No. 1 pairing, while Orlov and Carlo teamed up on the No. 2 pairing. Derek Forbort, out of the rotation Saturday, rode once again with Connor Clifton.

“Blocked shot, foot’s swollen, so we’re not going to play him today,” said Montgomery, explaining Lindholm’s absence. “He’ll play in Chicago [Tuesday].”

Prior to getting hurt Saturday, Lindholm fired in his eighth goal of the season, cutting the Red Wings’ lead in half, 2-1. It’s his best goal total since 2017-18 when he potted a career-high 13 with the Ducks.

The Bruins entered the matinee with a record of 24-1-0 in games when they get a goal from a backliner. In those 25 games, they’ve outscored the opposition, 115-50 (+65).

Grzelcyk scored the club’s opening goal here, and the Bruins are 24-2-0 when their backliners chip in with a goal or more. The goal differential in those 26 games is now +63.

Dmitry Orlov’s new job

Orlov, recently promoted to point man on the power-play unit, assisted on Patrice Bergeron’s power-play strike in Saturday’s win. It left Orlov with a dazzling 3-7—10 line in his first seven games in Black and Gold.

Orlov, kept off the scoresheet Sunday in 21:17 of ice time, again manned the PP1, with Montgomery continuing to assess his club’s recovering man-advantage.

Orlov, seen here battling for possession with Detroit's Moritz Seider during the third period of Sunday's game, has provided an offensive boost for Boston since his arrival.Gregory Shamus/Getty

“Yesterday was good, because we got four power play [opportunities],” said the coach. “We’ve only been getting one or two [opportunities] lately — luckily we’ve only been taking one or two.”

The game Saturday, noted Montgomery “was a better sample size” to assess what “rhythm” the new-look PP1 developed. He liked the general beat of the unit in terms of chances, but noted he would prefer to see a greater “volume” of shots.

“So,” he added, “it’s still early in the process of assessing Orlov’s work back there.”

Getting the puck into the offensive zone on the advantage improved during Saturday’s matinee. That often can be the starting point for the power play regaining its jam.

“Against Edmonton [on Thursday],” said a smiling Montgomery, “they were oh-my-God bad.”

Linus Ullmark wins eighth straight

Linus Ullmark, with a first-class ticket on the Vezina bullet train in hand, picked up his eighth consecutive victory in Saturday’s 3-2 comeback win over the Winged Wheels.

Ullmark, slated to make Tuesday’s start in Chicago, improved his league-leading marks to 33-4-1, 1.89 and .938.

During his eight-game winning streak, which began following his most recent loss (Jan. 29, 4-1, at Carolina), Ullmark has a 1.84 GAA and a .944 save percentage.

Tyler Bertuzzi saluted

Ex-Wing Tyler Bertuzzi, flipped to the Bruins at the trade deadline, was treated to a brief tribute on the Godzilla-big video board during a break, 8:18 into the first period. He returned the love with a brief twirl in front of the Bruins bench, offering a stick salute to the adoring locals. “Kinda weird walking in here today,” he said … Montgomery, in a pregame interview with 98.5′s Bob Beers, said how he wants Bertuzzi to attack: “He’s a grease ball, and I want him in and around the blue paint.” Without missing a beat, Beers said, ”I know you mean that affectionately”... Alex Chiasson, whose power-play strike provided a 1-0 Wings lead, turned pro in 2012 with Dallas after playing three seasons at BU for Jack Parker. He signed with the Wings in the offseason and only recently was promoted from AHL Grand Rapids. Chiasson and Orlov were teammates on the ‘18 Cup-winning Capitals … Scorched twice by the Red Wing power play, the Bruins’ PK had not allowed more than one PPG since game No. 30, Dec. 17, a 4-2 win at the Garden over the Blue Jackets.