The Bruins were dealt a major blow just before Game 4 against the Hurricanes, as Charlie McAvoy has been place in COVID-19 protocol and will miss Sunday afternoon's game.
McAvoy missed Saturday's practice, but coach Bruce Cassidy had called it just a maintenance day. It's unclear if there's any connection between that and McAvoy now entering COVID protocol.
With McAvoy out, Josh Brown will draw into the lineup for the first time this series. Brown, acquired at the trade deadline from Ottawa, has played in two playoff games in his career -- both in 2020 when he was on the Florida Panthers.
Hampus Lindholm also remains out after suffering an upper-body injury in Game 2. Cassidy said before Sunday's game that Lindholm is a possibility to return for Game 5 on Tuesday.
Here is how the Bruins' defense pairings will look Sunday based on warmups:
Matt Grzelcyk - Brandon Carlo
Derek Forbort - Connor Clifton
Mike Reilly - Josh Brown
