B’s missing three key players
Grzelcyk sits out against Blues with Pastrnak, Lindholm
The Bruins continue to be shorthanded as Matt Grzelcyk joined David Pastrnak and Hampus Lindholm on the shelf for Tuesday’s game against the St. Louis Blues.
BRUINS NOTEBOOK
Grzelcyk is latest to join the infirmary. He left Sunday’s game in Washington when he pinched down from his left point position and had contact with the Capitals’ Nic Dowd in the first period. He appeared to be favoring his right shoulder when he left the ice.
“He feels a little better, but we’ll aim for Thursday,” said coach Bruce Cassidy of Grzelcyk.
The undersized Grzelcyk is a whiz at moving the puck in tight spaces and out of his own end, but his frame puts him at risk of injury. He’s battled shoulder issues all season long, adding some uncertainty to the B’s back end as they head into the playoffs.
“We’re going to have to deal with it, he’s going to have to deal with it,” said Cassidy. “Usually, he rebounds quickly, so we have to keep our fingers crossed a little bit in that regard. But we’ll have to have other guys ready to go if it happens again.”
With both Grzelcyk and Lindholm out, the B’s brought up Jack Ahcan as an extra D-man but he was not going to play on Tuesday.
“At first it was insurance. We didn’t think Grizz would have a quick turnaround and we wanted to make sure we had enough bodies today. We’ll go from there,” said Cassidy. “Some of it will depend on Grizz’s recovery, which I think is going to be quick. But if not, then we’d have to look at Jack. This time of year, you do have a certain amount of recalls so you have to be mindful of them. We’re going to do what we can do to put the best team on the ice, but there’s a little bit of that that comes into play.”
According to the morning line rushes, Derek Forbort was set to play with Charlie McAvoy, Mike Reilly was
paired with Brandon Carlo and the third pair was yet another go of Connor Clifton and Josh Brown.
Pastrnak (core) and Lindholm (knee), meanwhile, skated prior to the team’s morning practice, but were not ready to go, either.
“I guess they’re dragging on a little longer than I thought, from the first diagnosis,” said Cassidy. “Other than that, I wish there was better news. I still don’t believe it will be long, longterm. But I thought both would be a little farther along by this time after the reports we got last week out Detroit and Columbus.”
Krug back at the Garden
Former Bruin Torey Krug, who had missed the previous 10 games with an injury, faced his old team for the first time since signing with the Blues after the 2019-20 season, on his 31st birthday, no less. Krug went from signing with the B’s as an undrafted free agent in 2012 to becoming the quarterback of a potent power-play and an important part of the club’s leadership group.
“I always enjoy his personality. He’s got plenty of confidence without being one of those arrogant guys,” said Cassidy. “He’s got as sense of humor, so he can be a prankster. I think he found a willing guy (in Brad Marchand) he could go back and forth with here so I think that lightened up everybody here. I think he did it at appropriate times. He was great in the community. He’s a guy that loves Boston. There was no doubt that. And within the room, he’d speak his mind. I know myself whether I’d talk to him about the D or the power-play, he’d have no problem saying ‘that’s not what I saw.’ And we’d hash it out. I appreciate that in a guy. Yes, when the puck dropped, he was on board with whatever we were doing. I have a real affinity for Torey as a person and as a player. Unfortunately it didn’t work out here. He moved on to St. Louis. But it doesn’t change the way I feel about him as a guy.”
Lindholm wore No. 47, Krug’s number, when he was in Anaheim but now wears No. 27. Cassidy said the defenseman asked for that number, but it was withheld from him out of respect to Krug.
“I texted him and said ‘It’s not going to the rafters yet, buddy,’” said Cassidy.
Carlo, Krug’s defense partner in Boston, was one of the B’s who visited with Krug on Monday night upon the Blues’ arrival into town.
“It’s crazy that it’s been two years and he hasn’t had the opportunity to be back yet,” said Carlo. “It felt very natural just being in Boston with him, for sure. It’s a moment that I’m sure he’s looked forward to, coming back here and battling it out against us. I’ll be fun. I’ll give him a smile in warmups. But after that, you’ve got to go with the Zdeno Chara mentality with no friends on the ice. After the game you can say hi. But it will be different. I’ve watched some games on the TV and at first it was weird to see him in that uniform but I’m getting more used to it now.”
Adjustments made on the power play
After the power play went 0-for-16 on the road trip, Cassidy made some adjustments to the first unit. He inserted Jake DeBrusk into the net front spot, taking out Charlie Coyle, and put Taylor Hall on his strong side wing. But the biggest adjustment was the mindset.
“Let’s get our nose dirty a little bit, then maybe the pretty plays will come later, because they’re not happening now. That much I know. An ugly, greasy, second chance goal would get us excited again and I think the plays will start to come,” said Cassidy.