Positive signs for David Pastrnak after missing Game 3.

The Boston Bruins got some good news on Sunday.

After a huge performance in Game 1 in which he played nearly 25 minutes against the Carolina Hurricanes Boston Bruins forward David Pastrnak has gone noticeably absent, dealing with what is believed to be some form of relatively minor injury. Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy has maintained throughout the absence of one of his star forwards that this was a relatively minor situation but concerns were raised again when Pastrnak was unable to go for a second consecutive game over the weekend. 

Thankfully for the Bruins however it now appears as though Cassidy's assessment was on point given that David Pastrnak was back out on the ice on Sunday as his team prepared for Game 4 against the Hurricanes. This is particularly noteworthy because the practice was an optional one for the Bruins, which would appear to indicate that Pastrnak himself intends to do everything he can to get ready for Game 4 as well. We should not get ahead of ourselves though because as things currently stand Pastrnak has not been officially confirmed for that game, and it sounds like his status is still somewhat questionable moving forward.

On Sunday Cassidy was asked about the status of his star forward and specifically about his availability for Game 4 with the Bruins head coach saying that it was about a "50/50" chance that we would see Pastrnak in for that game against the Canes. That is of course better than no chance at all but it would also appear to indicate that Pastrnak's injury remains a concern for the time being. The Bruins have had plenty of experience dealing with injuries after several lengthy playoff runs in recent seasons and in fact are already dealing with the stunning departure of star goaltender Tuukka Rask.

In spite of Rask effectively quitting on the team in the middle of the Stanley Cup playoffs and in spite of being without one of their best offensive weapons in Pastrnak for Game 3, the Bruins still managed to best the Hurricanes to take the lead in the series. Good signs for the Bruins moving forward, and perhaps also a sign that they can afford to let Pastrnak fully recover before putting him back into game situations.