Tonight, the Bruins will lace up their skates on the second night of a back-to-back against the Detroit Red Wings on the road. After coming away with a win in overtime over the Columbus Blue Jackets thanks to two goals by Jake Debrusk, which consisted of the first goal of the game and the game-winner in OT, the Bruins look to sneak out a win with a banged-up roster. While it was all cheers and smiles last night that the Bruins secured the win and took third place in the Atlantic Division knocking Tampa Bay to the wild card spot, however there were a few concerns regarding two players.
Trent Frederic Unavailable
Trent Frederic exited the game after sustaining a hit to the head that didn’t see him return to that game and now has him scratched for tonight’s matchup with what they are labeling an upper-body injury. The loss of Frederic is significant as he has come into his own over the last month, figuring out how his style of play translates to the NHL level. We have seen an uptick in offensive production while still getting a glimpse of that tough style of play that made Frederic a fan favorite from the start.
Pastrnak Unable to Go Tonight
The most concerning is the loss of David Pastrnak, who also exited last night’s game in the third period and didn’t return. Pasta has been ruled out of tonight’s game against Detroit as he’s been dealing with a lingering core issue that may cost him some time to get a hundred percent healthy before the playoffs. The loss of your leading goal scorer is never an easy task to overcome, especially during a playoff positioning battle as the Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Toronto Maple Leafs are all battling for the second and third seeds in the Atlantic. On the season, Pastrnak has 38 goals and 71 points and has been a primary driver of the power-play unit as he has 14 power-play goals. Pastrnak has also been the player the Bruins have called upon when it comes to needing a game-winning goal, as he has produced nine of them over 69 games. This will be the first game Pasta has missed all season and leaves Head Coach Bruce Cassidy juggling line combinations to fill in two missing holes.
Cassidy Forced to Make New Lines
In the wake of the injuries, Bruce Cassidy will be rolling out three new lines as the top line of Marchand, Bergeron, and Debrusk will stay the same. To fill in for Pastrnak on the right-wing of the second line Tomas Nosek has gotten the call from the fourth line to slot in next to Hall and Haula. As for the opening on the left-wing of the third line that Nick Foligno will now fill as he looks to get going now that he will be playing with the likes of Charlie Coyle and Craig Smith. As for the fourth line of the Boston Bruins tonight, Cassidy has decided to roll out a combination that has not been seen this season. Anton Blidh, Jack Studnicka, and Marc McLaughlin will skate together and see what energy they can bring to the table as they have been looking for expanded roles all season long. The Bruins puck drop will be at 7:30 pm EST at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit as the Bruins look to win their fourth consecutive game.
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