The goal at the beginning of the week, when David Pastrnak first took contact in practice, was to have him travel with the Bruins on Friday and return to the lineup at some point during their upcoming four-game road trip.
It looks like there’s a good chance he’ll be playing the first game of said road trip when the Bruins take on Zdeno Chara and the Capitals in Washington on Saturday.
Pastrnak got through the week in good shape and now just has to clear one last hurdle: getting final clearance from Boston’s medical team Saturday morning.
“He’s going to go for morning skate with us. He’s been participating with us. It sounds like he’s checked all the boxes, but tomorrow we’ll make that decision,” said coach Bruce Cassidy. “Trending very well. I think today was a very light day for him. They pushed him this week, so if he wakes up with no residual effects, feels good, my guess is he’s got a good chance to play tomorrow night.
“The medical department will make that decision tomorrow, but we have the intention of playing him if we get those clearances tomorrow, and it sounds like there’s a very good chance we will.”
Pastrnak underwent a right hip arthroscopy and labral repair in September and was originally given a five-month timetable for his return, which would be mid-February. He has been ahead of schedule for a while, though, and is now on the verge of returning two weeks earlier than initially anticipated.
“I feel great,” Pastrnak said Friday. “It’s been a long road, a lot of practices behind me. I feel ready. I feel 100 percent. It’s been awesome. We’ll see what’s going to happen tomorrow, but I’m pretty sure I’m ready to go.”
Pastrnak also revealed that he was dealing with the hip injury not just during the playoffs, but for much of last regular season as well. He said he’s now skating pain-free for the first time in a long time, which should be a terrifying thought for opponents since Pastrnak tied for the NHL lead in goals last season despite apparently not being 100 percent.
In other Bruins injury news, Cassidy said Jake DeBrusk will likely miss a second straight game with the lower-body injury he suffered on Tuesday. Matt Grzelcyk is also likely out after suffering another lower-body injury on Thursday, and Ondrej Kase remains out with an upper-body injury. Jack Studnicka took a hard hit Thursday night and didn’t practice Friday, and Cassidy said he may not be ready for Saturday either.
Tuukka Rask is expected to return and start Saturday night after sitting out Thursday. He appeared to suffer some sort of lower-body injury on Tuesday, but stayed in that game and was scheduled to back up Thursday anyways before getting the day completely off as a precaution.
Cassidy said Pastrnak will go back to his usual spot with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand if he returns, and that he’s inclined to reunite Charlie Coyle and Craig Smith (who both moved up in the lineup Thursday) on the third line with Trent Frederic, as that trio had been clicking well. He’d also prefer to keep Anders Bjork, Sean Kuraly and Chris Wagner together on the fourth line after their great game Thursday night.
That just leaves second-line right wing next to David Krejci and Nick Ritchie as a question. Studnicka has been the go-to there, but if he can’t play, Cassidy mentioned Karson Kuhlman as an option. Kuhlman has been with AHL Providence, but didn’t practice with them Friday and is expected to travel with Boston, according to Mark Divver.
These would be the anticipated lines if Pastrnak returns:
Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - David Pastrnak
Nick Ritchie - David Krejci - Jack Studnicka/Karson Kuhlman
Trent Frederic - Charlie Coyle - Craig Smith
Anders Bjork - Sean Kuraly - Chris Wagner
Jeremy Lauzon - Charlie McAvoy
Connor Clifton - Brandon Carlo
Jakub Zboril - Kevan Miller
Tuukka Rask
Jaroslav Halak