Bruce Cassidy was ready to make a change, but the Boston Bruins head coach wasn’t going to tip his hand.
Cassidy shook up his lines for his team’s 6-4 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 4 of their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series, but that came after showing Toronto a different look in pregame warmups.
Winger Danton Heinen skated with the second line in pregame line rushes, as the top line of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak remained intact. That all changed, however, when the game started, as Cassidy started Bergeron and Marchand with Heinen on their right wing. Pastrnak started the game on a line with David Krejci and Jake DeBrusk.
It was tough to argue with the results. The revamped first line scored the Bruins’ second goal of the night, with Marchand potting one that was assisted by Heinen, while Pastrnak had a breakout performance with a pair of goals. Granted, Cassidy did reunite the top line at times, and both of Pastrnak’s goals came with Marchand and Bergeron on the ice, but the winger looked more engaged all game no matter who was skating alongside him.
“Just moving Pasta around, he wasn’t on top of his game for whatever reason,” Cassidy explained to reporters after the game. “Heinen has played with (Bergeron and Marchand) when Pasta missed four or five weeks. He did a good job up there, tailed off at the end. I’m not sure Danton can sustain it at this point in his career every night against the top lines, against the top D, but he certainly does a nice job in spots. Pasta and (Krejci) have played together, so it’s just a different look.”
Cassidy indicated after the Bruins’ Game 3 loss that he might be open to shaking things up, and Boston has made similar lineup changes at times throughout the season. The coach relayed the message to the involved parties after Wednesday’s morning skate when it became obvious Marcus Johansson would be healthy enough to draw back into the lineup. Johansson gave Boston the lineup flexibility to be able to make the change and allowed Cassidy to feel comfortable with the new look.
“I think it sparked everybody,” Pastrnak said. “It gives them a little different look. It was fun. I’ve been playing with (Krejci before), so I know what to expect. We all know (Heinen) played great with these guys so it’s good for us.”
The series shifts back to Boston for a pivotal Game 5 on Friday night at TD Garden where pregame warmups will take on added significance, as we’ll be waiting to see the lines Cassidy deploys. Then again, if Wednesday was any indication, perhaps we shouldn’t put too much stock into what we see and hear before the puck actually drops.
