There's been quite the deviation to the expected lines and pairings for the Boston Bruins in their Sunday road showdown against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Jim Montgomery announced close to an hour prior to puck drop that Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and Hampus Lindholm all wouldn't play in the contest due to nagging injuries. Montgomery also said Bergeron was under the weather.
"We don't want to get to the point where they couldn't play and it's getting close to that point," Montgomery told reporters, per team-provided video. "We have an opportunity to rest guys for two days because of those nagging injuries. They're playing through some pain right now. We don't want them to progressively get worse."
Filling their spots in the lineup will be Oksar Steen, who was called up from Providence prior to the game on an emergency basis, A.J. Greer and Jakub Zboril as they look to help Boston extend its winning streak to seven games.
"I'm looking forward to our players relishing the opportunity to show off our depth," Montgomery said.
The Bruins, who clinched the Atlantic Division title with their win Saturday over the Tampa Bay Lightning, have plenty of separation in the standings to make health a main priority with just 10 games remaining in the regular season.
