There were not many superlatives to be thrown around after the Bruins’ 6–2 loss to the New York Rangers on Friday, but coach Marco Sturm made an exception for Casey Mittelstadt.

Mittelstadt had been on the shelf with a knee injury since Nov. 6 and didn’t even make the just completed trip to to the West Coast and Long Island. But with David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha out with unspecified maladies, desperate times called for a desperate measure. And so, without the benefit of a team practice (something that is usually imperative for a player out that long), Mittelstadt was pressed back into action.

The wing/center got better as the game went on and even scored one of the two Bruin goals in the loss.

“I thought he was great,” said Sturm. “I could tell already before the game that he would have a solid game because he wanted to play. And he didn’t care about anything else. I’m going to tell you this. A lot of guys would pull the chute, and he didn’t. So I give him a lot of credit.”

Mittelstadt played 17:14 and was very much a part of the B’s fleeting comeback attempt. He had started the game skating on a line with Marat Khusnutdinov and call-up Georgii Merkulov, but was moved up to play with Elias Lindholm and Morgan Geekie in the third when the B’s were scrambling to get back in the game.

“It definitely felt good to be back. You miss it when you’re gone, for sure,” said Mittelstadt. “Some time you forget it’s hard to watch your teammates play and you can’t help. Felt good to be back. Obviously, I would have liked a better result but I’ll get ready to go (Saturday).”

Mittelstadt said he had skated four or five times while the team was away.

“I got quite a bit better over the last few days. I ended up in a good spot for today,” Mittelstadt said.

When it was clear Pastrnak and Zacha were unavailable, he had to do a little audition.

“I skated this morning and felt good. It was just a matter of them watching me skate and making sure it was OK. I’ve really had no issues since I started skating. From there it was a go,” said Mittelstadt.

There was some rust to kick off but he was generally pleased with his performance.

“Maybe a little bit, but honestly when you’re hurt and skating and working out, you’re almost working harder than when you’re playing because you’re so focused on the recovery side,” he said. “But I felt good. Lungs felt good, legs felt good. Overall, I felt it was a positive.”

Moving up

Merkulov was called up late and was not able to gain much traction, skating 10:35 and taking a minus-1 on a first period goal against.

Sturm was not about to dump the loss on him.

“It was tough. He traveled all day (Thursday) from Toronto. It was hard, but it probably very fast if you were to ask him. It’s a different league. It’s a hard league. But he was definitely not the issue today,” said Sturm.

Some people were anticipating a call-up for Fabian Lysell, the 2021-first round pick who was coming off a two-goal performance. But Merkulov, who had 6-8-14 totals in 17 games, got the call.

“It’s always a group decision. We always call (Providence coach Ryan Mougenel), we talk to (GM Don Sweeney), we talk as a coaching staff and then we go from there,” said Sturm.

Loose pucks

Elias Lindholm’s two assists were the first 5-on-5 points of his season so far. All four of his goals have been on the power play. … Before missing Friday’s game, Pastrnak had been the model of durability. The last game that he had missed was the final regular season game in the 2021-22 season. He had played in 298 straight games, including playoffs, before Friday’s DNP. … Jonathan Aspirot was cut with a high-stick follow-through in the third period but he was able to return before the game was over.

Matej Blumel was placed on long-term injured reserve after suffering a lower body injury in Wednesday’s game on Long Island. … Defenseman Michael Callahan was assigned to Providence. … Rangers coach Mike Sullivan was the B’s coach when Sturm was traded to Boston in the highly controversial Joe Thornton trade in 2005.

“He was the coach and he was very young when I got here but I loved him as a coach, loved him as a person. Even now, every time I see him we chat, he’s one of those guys. Maybe it’s the Boston connection,” said Sturm. “But he’s probably one of the best coaches in the league. For me, it’s special, coaching against him. He’s one of those guys you always look at it because he’s one of those guys you want to be. You look at his career and it’s impressive. He’s a nice man and very good coach.”

Sturm said Sullivan, now a two-time Stanley Cup winner from his tme in Pittsbrugh, did right by him as a player, especially immediately after the trade thought also brought Brad Stuart and Wayne Primeau to Boston.

“I remember because we got here early and all the guys were out and he came in here waiting for us and welcomed us,” Sturm. “It was a difficult trade and situation and he calmed us down, especially me because he put me on the first line so I was very happy with that. But overall, he was very good to me. With his strong Boston accent, he got me going right away.”