Bruins adjust lines for elimination game in Ottawa
It looks like Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy is making some lineup adjustments as the Bruins teeter on the brink of elimination from the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Game 5 will return to Ottawa with the Senators in a 3-1 series lead. The Bruins are desperate to keep their post-season alive, so Cassidy has been adjusting his lineup looking for to put forward the best possible squad.
From the looks of things in practice today, center Ryan Spooner is not at 100% and will likely be scratched in favour of Sean Kuraly.
Spooner, 25, had 11 goals and 39 points in 78 games this season, and has 2 assists in 4 playoff games against Ottawa. Kuraly spent most of the season in the AHL with the Providence Bruins, but played in 8 NHL games this season, notching a single assist. He’s played in two playoff games so far, but has yet to register a point.
Spooner has been a versatile forward for the Bruins with a lot of offensive potential, playing most of the season on the second line. His recent slump may be a result of him playing through injury, but his play has slipped lately and that has seen him fall down the Boston's depth chart.
Kuraly will be centering Boston’s fourth line, as the Bruins look for even the slightest advantage in a series where each game has been decided by a single goal.
As per CSNNE’s Joe Haggerty, the potential lines for the Bruins tonight are:
Marchand – Bergeron – Backes
Stafford-Krejci-Pasta
Moore-Nash-Acciari
Vatrano-Kuraly-Schaller
Chara-McAvoy
Morrow-K Miller
Liles-C Miller
Rask
The Bruins will be trying to keep their Stanley Cup run alive in Ottawa, and the Senators would like nothing more than to close out their opening round at home tonight, Thursday April 21st.
