Boston Bruins: David Pastrnak Won’t Join Bruins On Road
Boston Bruins: David Pastrnak Won’t Join Bruins On Road Trip To Western Canada
Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
The Boston Bruins will be without forward David Pastrnak for the entire duration of their three-game road trip. The Bruins will be taking on the Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, and Vancouver Canucks in their annual western-Canadian swing, and David Patrnak isn’t traveling with the team right now. It seems unlikely that he’ll join his team on the road, making the next likely chance for his return coming at home when the Bruins host the Nashville Predators.
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David Pastrnak started the season skating alongside David Krejci and Matt Beleskey, with Loui Eriksson eventually taking over for Beleskey. Pastrnak started the season off decently with two goals and two assists in ten games as well as 24 shots on goal. When the young Czech forward does eventually return to the lineup, it isn’t clear who will sit to make room for him, and what the lines will look like as a result, but there are certainly a few players the Bruins shouldn’t split up. While the optimal scenario for the Bruins involves David Krejci and Loui Eriksson remaining on the same line with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand skating alongside each other, a few question marks arise when determining the final winger spot on both of the top lines.
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The Bruins are lucky, as they have more capable wingers than open positions, which is a problem, but a good problem to have. David Pastrnak, Jimmy Hayes, Frank Vatrano, Matt Beleskey, and Brett Connolly are all going to be fighting for the final two spots on the top two lines, and then two will be skating on the third line, with one being relegated to the fourth line. Pastrnak has been missing from the Bruins lineup since late-October, but his absence from the lineup has been lessened thanks to Frank Vatrano stepping up big for his team. With Vatrano being one of the Bruins better offensively-gifted players who isn’t afraid to shoot the puck — 24 shots in eight games played — the best spot for him is alongside either Patrice Bergeron or David Krejci. Assuming the Bruins want to keep the David Krejci – David Pastrnak experiment going, the projected lineup once Pastrnak returns could look like the following:
Brad Marchand – Patrice Bergeron – Frank Vatrano
Loui Eriksson – David Krejci – David Pastrnak
Matt Beleskey – Ryan Spooner – Brett Connolly
Landon Ferraro – Jonas Kemppainen – Jimmy Hayes
Extra forwards:
Jimmy Hayes skating on the fourth line isn’t ideal, but he was already placed in that role when the Bruins took on the Detroit Red Wings, and the result wasn’t bad. Teams around the NHL have started utilizing more offensively-talented fourth lines and the Bruins could look to follow-suit with Hayes skating on the fourth line until he forces Claude Julien to move him back up the lineup, or until another winger slows down or makes enough defensive mistakes for Claude Julien to justify the switch. The Bruins never stay complacent with their lines from game-to-game, and often even shift-to-shift, meaning every player should get their chance with the Bruins; the onus is on them earn every minute they receive.
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