BOSTON — With Patrice Bergeron’s return on the horizon, the Boston Bruins will have some decisions to make when it comes to line combinations.
David Krejci has been centering the Bruins’ top line the past eight games, and his presence on that unit has helped ignite Boston’s offense. Since moving up to center David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand, Krejci has tallied 11 points (five goals, six assists) and has recorded a point each game.
Pastrnak has played well alongside Krejci, notching 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) over that same stretch, including three points in the B’s 3-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday at TD Garden.
So, when Bergeron returns, which could come as soon as this weekend, will Pastrnak follow Krejci to the second line?
While a lot of factors will go into the decision, including the health of Jake DeBrusk, head coach Bruce Cassidy did note he is contemplating pairing Pastrnak and Krejci together once Bergeron returns.
“Yes, again Jake (DeBrusk) always factors into that,” Cassidy said about the potential movement of the top line. “And without getting ahead of myself … yes, we could go in pairs and (Bergeron and Brad Marchand), (Pastrnak and Krejci) and where Jake goes from there if he’s in fact playing. That’s where the problems come in. If you split them up now, the third line we’ve kind of wanted to keep those kids together, something’s got to give on the other lines and that’s a good problem to have, like I said, because listen we want (Bergeron) in the lineup, we want (Krejci) in the lineup. That’s our 1A and 1B up the middle but we’ll sort it out from there, which we’ve kind of done all year, which is see what fits best.”
Pastrnak, for one, is glad the decision isn’t up to him.
“I’m really happy it’s not my job,” Pastrnak said. “I really don’t know what to say. They’re both great players, so I’m not really thinking about it.”
The Bruins have played some of their best hockey over the past two games and have fought valiantly to stay afloat ever since Bergeron and Zdeno Chara were injured in November.
With Bergeron preparing to make his return, Cassidy will have a tough decision to make. But as he noted, it’s a good problem to have.
