All of a sudden, the Boston Bruins are a hurtin’ bunch.

Not only were they without Kevan Miller for Saturday night’s 2-1 overtime loss against the Vancouver Canucks – that was expected after he took a shot off his hand in Edmonton on Thursday and returned to Boston on Friday for tests – but they were down another defenseman with the loss of Charlie McAvoy, who was also sent back to Boston after reporting to team staff that he was wasn’t feeling well.

On top of that, David Backes was a late scratch because he was “not feeling well,” according to Bruins media relations.

There’s no timetable yet for McAvoy or Miller, but the basic prognosis for a broken bone, which is presumably what ails Miller, is usually 4 to 6 weeks, unless surgery is required, which would make it longer.

“We’ll know in a few days what the X-ray shows and whether they cast it or not. We won’t know that until the doctor gets that back,” said Bruins Coach Bruce Cassidy, whose team has lost the first three games of a four-game trip.

The missing blueliners not only forced Steven Kampfer into action for the first time this year, but the Bruins had to call up promising 19-year-old Urho Vaakanainen, the club’s first-round pick in 2017.

“(Zdeno Chara) and (Brandon) Carlo have played together, so we’re comfortable there. The other four guys, it might be a trial and error thing,” said Cassidy.

Backes took a high hit from Edmonton’s Matt Benning in the first period Thursday and had to go to the dressing room. He returned to the game but played sparingly. It was not immediately known if his absence against the Canucks had anything to do with the Benning hit. He has a long history of concussions.

Kampfer, meanwhile, was ready to get back at it. He had a good preseason, but he knew that he had to be patient.

“I knew the situation going in, and Bruce and (General Manager Don Sweeney) and the coaches talked about what the role was going into the season, so I kind of knew that I’d have to wait for something like this to happen. But it’s just about staying ready,” said Kampfer.

DUCKS: Paul Kariya’s No. 9 was raised to the Honda Center rafters before Sunday’s game against Buffalo as the team honored the high-scoring forward and former UMaine star who became a Hall of Famer.

Kariya was the first draft pick in team history and spent his first nine NHL seasons in Anaheim. He scored 300 of his 402 career goals with the Ducks and served as their captain for seven seasons.

SUNDAY’S GAMES

LIGHTNING 6, BLACKHAWKS 3: Brayden Point had a goal and two assists, and Tampa Bay peppered visiting Chicago with 33 shots in a three-goal second period on the way to a win at home.

The 33 shots are the most in a period since 1997-98, when shots by period became an official statistic.

FLAMES 4, RANGERS 1: Johnny Gaudreau and Kennebunkport’s Garnet Hathaway each scored twice, backup goalie David Rittich made 44 saves and Calgary won at New York.

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