How Bruins Plan To Cope Without Top D-Men Vs. Hurricanes In Game 5

The Boston Bruins have a tried-and-true mindset for enduring the absences of stars.

B’s defenseman Matt Grzelcyk told reporters Tuesday following morning skate how the team copes without their top blue-line pairing of Hampus Lindholm and Charlie McAvoy. Bruce Cassidy revealed neither McAvoy nor Lindholm traveled with the team from Game 5 of their first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series with the Hurricanes due to COVID-19 protocol and an upper-body injury, respectively. Grzelcyk and Brandon Carlo will comprise Boston’s first defensive pairing for the second consecutive game with hopes of holding the fort capably until McAvoy and Lindholm return.

“Obviously we’d love to have those guys back in the lineup, they make a huge difference for us,” Grzelcyk said at a press conference, as seen in a video the Bruins shared via Twitter. “We’ve always had that next-man-up mentality no matter what. Our backs are kind of against the wall, especially the last two games, we’ve got to win those games. We’re never going to have that one guy that’s going to replace either of them.

“We’re going to do it by committee, and guys take a lot of pride in that and want to buckle down. It’s fun to be a part of. Obviously those are challenging times, for sure, and can be a little uneasy before the game when we don’t have those guys. But we have great leaders in the room. They lead, and we follow.”

Bruce Cassidy told reporters Monday the remaining Bruins defensemen must play more than they’re accustomed to. Given the mentality Grzelcyk details, Cassidy’s challenge sounds like one Grzelcyk, Carlo, Mike Reilly, Josh Brown, Derek Forbort and Connor Clifton will embrace enthusiastically.

The Bruins-Hurricanes series is tied 2-2. Game 5 is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday. NESN will bring you all the action on air and/or online, with pregame coverage starting at 6 p.m.