Bruce Cassidy on Wednesday said one of his defensemen was going to be “unhappy” ahead of Thursday’s Boston Bruins-Tampa Bay Lightning game.
That D-man is Mike Reilly.
Reilly will be the odd man out Thursday after the addition of Hampus Lindholm ahead of Monday’s NHL trade deadline left the Bruins with seven defensemen. A good problem to have, sure, but it certainly was no easy decision for Cassidy to make.
Connor Clifton and Derek Forbort will be Boston’s third pairing when it hosts Tampa Bay at TD Garden.
“They’ve been good as a pair,” Cassidy told reporters of Forbort and Clifton, per team-provided audio. “Mike’s been fine, as well. It’s not an easy decision in terms of merit, to be honest with you. It’s a good problem to have in that regard. It’s tough for Mike, but it’s one game. We’re going to get everyone involved and go from there, but that’s how it’s going to be tonight.”
It’s unclear if Reilly will sit out Saturday’s game against the New York Islanders.
Clifton had a strong game in the Bruins’ win over the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night, and Forbort has been solid on the penalty kill this season.
Bruins-Bolts is set for 7 p.m. ET on NESN.
