OTTAWA -- The Bruins had no surprises Wednesday on the forward lines during morning skate at the Canadian Tire Center prior to Game 1 of their series with the Ottawa Senators, but they continue to jumble up the back end looking for the right combinations.
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That meant David Krejci and Dominic Moore were out in their usual spots for morning skate, and Charlie McAvoy was paired with stay-at-home D-man Kevan Miller.
Both Torey Krug (lower body) and Brandon Carlo (upper body) didn’t make the trip up with the Bruins to Ottawa, but could presumably rejoin the team if they’re ready with two off-days between Game 1 and Game 2.
“They’re classified as day-to-day, and if they become available then we could get them out here," said interim coach Bruce Cassidy.
Cassidy indicated that he could mix-and-match with the pairings once play begins on Wednesday night, and he sees how things look on the ice.
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“We’ve had to move some players around and it’s a bit out of necessity because we’ve lost some players,” said Cassidy. “So we’ve had to fit some people in and see how it best matches up, and I can’t even tell you if how we start is how we’re going to finish. There’s a bit of the unknown. We need to see how Ottawa’s lines look and who matches up best against their group, and who compliments our forward line. We’ve always factored that in: Not just who you’re playing against, but who you’re playing with on our team.”
What does all of that mean? It means you could see that Chara-McAvoy pairing before the night is out, and Cassidy is ready to keep moving pieces around until he likes what he sees. Here are the projected Bruins line combos and D-pairings based on morning skate in Ottawa:
