David Pastrnak has ‘better’ chance of playing in Game 5
By Ty Anderson, 985TheSportsHub.com
Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but David Pastrnak is once again considered a possibility for the next game in this first-round showdown between the Bruins and Hurricanes.
And though that same approach has led to three straight absences for Pastrnak, Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy ended Tuesday’s practice with the belief that Pastrnak has his best odds to date of returning to action.
“Better than they were [in Game 4],” Cassidy said of Pastrnak’s odds to suit up in Wednesday’s Game 5. “He skated today, made it through practice, did a few battle drills.”
Keep in mind that Cassidy called Pastrnak a ’50-50′ chance for Game 4, which ultimately didn’t pan out. So that means that Pastrnak is entering Game 5 at what, 60-40? 70-30? Maybe 51-49. No matter the figure, it’s an improvement.
But with a 4 p.m. puck drop in Game 5, Pastrnak will once again have to work through some time constraints, much like he unsuccessfully did with Games 2 (on the second leg of a back-to-back) and Game 3 (a matinee). And he’ll have to begin Wednesday without any lingering issues from Tuesday’s session.
“Some of that will depend on how he feels in the morning, if there’s residual effect, and then we’ll make a decision,” said Cassidy. “The other day we thought he had an outside chance. Now I’d give it better than that. So, we’ll have to make a decision in the morning. Four o’clock game is tough. You go [at] seven or eight, you get to test it out in the morning.
“That’ll be the challenge for the medical staff. But if we feel he’s 100% [with] no risk of further injury, he’ll be in the lineup.”
Pastrnak, the 2019-20 Rocket Richard co-winner in the regular season, has a goal and an assist in one game this round.
Ty Anderson is a writer and columnist for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Yell at him on Twitter: @_TyAnderson.
