Bruins downgrade another player ahead of tilt vs. Lightning
The Bruins entered Friday knowing that they would not have David Pastrnak available for their head-to-head with the Lightning, but they also play without Hampus Lindholm, according to Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy.
Lindholm’s official downgrade to ‘out’ comes after he did not skate on Friday morning. There was some slight optimism from the Black and Gold’s point of view when the Swedish defender missed Thursday’s on-ice session but completed some off-ice work, but that obviously did not lead to progress on Friday.
“I would say Lindholm is a little ahead of Pasta in terms of who will play next,” Cassidy said Friday morning. “But, certainly, neither [will play] tonight.”
Lindholm’s absence will move Mike Reilly back up to the Boston top pairing opposite Charlie McAvoy, while Derek Forbort and Connor Clifton will make up the B’s third defensive pairing.
The loss of the 6-foot-4 Lindholm will be a big one for the Bruins, too, as he dominated his on-ice matchup against Tampa when the Bruins last played the Bolts, and has been a major, major on-ice plus for the Bruins throughout his tenure.
With Pastrnak out, Marc McLaughlin will get the call to the right of Taylor Hall and Erik Haula on Boston’s second line. The Billerica, Mass. native scored in his NHL debut, and has totaled three shots and two hits in 23:50 of total time on ice over two NHL games played.
The Bruins are hoping that McLaughlin, though a rookie, brings his shoot-first mentality to the line.
“Tonight, we got a right stick [and] a kid who likes to shoot there,” Cassidy said of plugging McLaughlin at right wing on the Haula line. “I talked to Marc yesterday. I said, ‘You gotta play your game. You can’t be looking for guys, you can’t defer. Every young guy will want to do that. You’re a shooter. If you’re in a shooting position, shoot it. Nobody’s going to get mad at you for shooting the puck.’ So that’s how we’ll approach it with Marc.”
Linus Ullmark will get the call in net for the Bruins.
The Bruins enter tonight’s game with a 2-0-1 record against the Lightning in 2021-22.
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Ty Anderson is a writer and columnist for 985TheSportsHub.com. He has been covering the Bruins since 2010, and has been a member of the Boston chapter of the PHWA since 2013. 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.