Brandon Carlo's absence from the Boston Bruins' Game 4 meeting with the New York Islanders means taking a different approach to the defensive pairs.
Carlo was on the receiving end of a Cal Clutterbuck hit in Game 3 that left the defenseman listed as day-to-day. While that's certainly good news compared to a longer absence, Boston also is without Kevan Miller, so the B's are down two big bodies with a chance to push the Islanders to the brink of elimination.
So, just how will the Bruins handle the blue line? Allow Bruce Cassidy to explain:
"At the end of the day, I'm sure you'll see (Mike) Reilly with different players," Cassidy said Saturday after practice. "It's a game that we're looking at, and talking to (assistant coach) Kevin (Dean), there's no rule that says you have to play pairs every shift. You can mix guys in as the game unfolds, as it dictates, who's going, who's not. Situational stuff. Maybe D-zone draws versus O-zone draws.
"You're probably going to see a lot of different partners tonight together. We'll go from there," he continued. "That's how we'll determine it. I expect all six will be at their best, and whatever role they're put in, they do it well so you don't have to worry too much about mixing and matching. I'm sure we'll see a bit of it and whatever helps us win is how we'll approach it."
Gotta do what you gotta do, right?
Puck drop from Nassau Coliseum is set for 7:15 p.m. ET. NESN will carry an hour of pregame and postgame coverage, and NESN.com will have intermission reports.
