The Boston Bruins’ depth at defensemen never was something to worry about throughout the regular season.
Even with injuries, the team had the “next man up” mentality when someone went down and continued to string together wins en route to the playoffs.
But as the B’s prepare for their Game 4 second-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday, head coach Bruce Cassidy detailed what the team is missing without Kevan Miller.
Miller hasn’t seen game action since April 4 when he crashed into the boards April 4 against the Minnesota Wild, and it’s looking like he won’t return anytime soon. While Cassidy can’t predict if the series would be different if Boston had Miller on the ice, he does know what he’d be bringing game in and game out.
“He would be a guy who’s going to punch back, push back,” Cassidy said, via The Boston Globe’s Matt Porter. “Matches up well against the (Nick) Folignos, (Josh) Andersons, that type of line. … That’s what we miss the most, that matchup piece against those bigger bodies.”
The defensemen have been banged up for the Black and Gold throughout the entire season, with John Moore and Connor Clifton both missing time due to injuries.
But the B’s will need to put any “what ifs” behind them as they look to even the series at two games apiece before coming back to TD Garden on Saturday.
