The Boston Bruins likely will tweak their lineup in effort to gain an edge over the Carolina Hurricanes.
Judging from Boston’s morning skate lines and pairings, Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy looks set to move up right wing Craig Smith to the second forward line Tuesday night when Boston visits Carolina in Game 5 of their first-round Stanley Cup playoffs series. Smith’s ascension would drop Jake DeBrusk to the third-line left wing spot for the pivotal matchup.
Neither Charlie McAvoy nor Hampus Lindholm participated in morning skate, and the latter won’t play in Game 5. Both members of the Bruins’ top defensive pairing missed Game 4 due to COVID-19 protocol and an upper-body injury, respectively. Cassidy said Monday at a press conference he’s waiting for Bruins medical staff to clear them to return.
Jeremy Swayman starts as Bruins goaltender for the third consecutive game. Cassidy on Monday dismissed concerns over the rookie’s workload, noting he participated in optional practice and looked fresh. Linus Ullmark is Swayman’s backup.
Bruins-Hurricanes coverage begins at 6 p.m. ET on NESN with “Bruins Face-Off Live: Eastern Conference First Round.” Puck drop from PNC Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m. “Bruins Overtime Live: Eastern Conference First Round” immediately will follow the final horn, and Boston-Carolina coverage wraps up with “Bruins Postgame Final: Eastern Conference First Round.”
Remember to follow all the Bruins-Hurricanes coverage using the NESN app or via Watch NESN Live if you’re on the go.
Here are the teams’ projected lines and pairings for Game 5:
BOSTON BRUINS (2-2)
Brad Marchand–Patrice Bergeron–David Pastrnak
Taylor Hall–Erik Haula–Craig Smith
Jake DeBrusk–Charlie Coyle–Tomas Nosek
Nick Foligno–Curtis Lazar–Chris Wagner
Matt Grzelcyk–Brandon Carlo
Derek Forbort–Connor Clifton
Mike Reilly–Josh Brown
Jeremy Swayman
CAROLINA HURRICANES (2-2)
Andrei Svechnikov–Sebastian Aho–Seth Jarvis
Max Domi–Vincent Trocheck–Teuvo Teravainen
Nino Niederreiter–Jordan Staal–Jesper Fast
Steven Lorentz–Jesperi Kotkaniemi–Martin Necas
Jaccob Slavin–Tony DeAngelo
Brady Skjei–Brett Pesce
Brendan Smith–Ian Cole
Antti Raanta
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