It feels like it’s been forever since we watched David Pastrnak play for the Boston Bruins. He had hip surgery this offseason, and his absence was the biggest blow for the Bruins entering the 2021 season.
Pastrnak spoke to the media this morning and said, “I feel great. It’s been a long road with a lot of practices behind me. I feel ready, I feel 100 percent. It’s been awesome. We’ll see what happens tomorrow, but I’m pretty sure I’m ready to go.”
Bruce Cassidy on David Pastrnak:
"If he wakes up, no residual effects … He has a good chance to play tomorrow." pic.twitter.com/3Y5T81tTZV
— Conor Ryan (@ConorRyan_93) January 29, 2021
Coach Bruce Cassidy commented on Pastrnak’s availability. He seemed optimistic.
“He’ll get final clearance in the morning about whether he can go tomorrow,” Cassidy said. “He’s going to go for morning skate with us. It sounds like he’s checked all the boxes. It’s trending very well. … My guess there’s a good chance he would play tomorrow night.”
Pastrnak will rejoin the top line alongside Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. The rest of the lines will be altered due to injuries. Jack Studnicka did not practice today after taking a hit during last night’s game, and Jake DeBrusk is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Ondrej Kase is also sidelined with an upper-body injury.
The most viable option would be to play someone from the taxi squad who has not seen any ice time yet this season. I would also expect Cassidy to call up Karson Kuhlman or Zach Senyshyn from the Providence Bruins.
Regardless of what the lines look like, getting Pastrnak back with an already impressive Bruins offense is going to be a sight to see.
– Caylee Allard
Follow me on Twitter: @2kaRask
