Breaking: Two last minute scratches from the Bruins before Game 6!

The Boston Bruins are facing down elimination in Game 6 of their first round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2019 Stanley Cup Playofss and it sounds like head coach Bruce Cassidy has made up his mind about who he will rely upon in this crucial game.

Perhaps surprisingly to some Cassidy will be opting for youth and speed today when his Bruins face off against the Leafs for possibly the very last time this season, leaving both veteran forward David Backes and veteran forward Chris Wagner on the sidelines. It has become crystal clear throughout this series that Cassidy feels that the 34 year old Backes is simply too slow footed for the young and dynamic offense of the Toronto Maple Leafs and that is a damning sign for a veteran player that is earning $6 million per season to play for the Bruins. As for the 27 year old Wagner he also seems to have fallen somewhat out of favor with his head coach throughout this series and I would be surprised to see either man back in this series if the Bruins do manage to extend it to 7 games today.

Of course even more interesting than who will be sitting out this game is who the Bruins head coach has chosen to interject into his lineup to replace them and again youth and speed seem to be the focus here. Cassidy will once again call upon 23 year old Bruins rookie center Karson Kuhlman to step up in what will unquestionably be the biggest game of his young National Hockey League career and joining him will be 27 year old Swedish forward Joakim Nordstrom.

Although it is too early to tell how these decisions will play out for Cassidy and his Boston Bruins in Game 6 the general consensus among the fan base right now seems to be a positive one. In spite of the fact that Backes is by far the most experienced, and most expensive, member of this group it seems that fans in Boston are more than willing to see the youngsters get a crack at the big time, something that could benefit the Bruins both in the short term and in the long term down the road.

[pub]