Bruins F David Pastrnak Out Again For Game 4

Boston Bruins winger and leading scorer David Pastrnak (unfit to participate) will not be available for a third straight game when the Bruins try to take a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 4 tonight at 8 PM ET in Toronto.  

“Pastrnak will not be available,” Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy told the media in his daily Zoom briefing Monday.

Pastrnak, who had a goal and an assist in the Bruins 4-3 double overtime win in Game 1, was skating as an extra, along with Nick Ritchie during the game day skate Monday morning. Ritchie will be a healthy scratch for a third straight game. There is no timetable on Pastrnak’s return at this point.

Despite taking three minor penalties in Game 3 Saturday, Anders Bjork will ride shotgun on the right side of Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand again.

“That’s the way we’re going to start it and if we need to change during the game, we will,” Cassidy said of giving Bjork another shot on the top line. “He’s young kid, and I have a feeling he’ll bounce back.”

The extras on the blue line in the skate this morning were John Moore and Jeremy Lauzon and they will be healthy scratches tonight. Connor Clifton will play his second-straight game in the series. Clifton had no points but had five hits in 13:19 in the 3-1 Game 3 Bruins win. He was also a plus 1.

“I think with Cliffy and this series where puck-moving has been so important, plus his playoff experience, we just need to lean on him here,” Cassidy said. “He had missed some time before but we need him in there now.”

Here’s what the Bruins’ Game 4 lineup will look like to start the game Monday night:

Marchand-Bergeron-Bjork

DeBrusk-Krejci-Kase

Kuraly-Coyle-Studnicka

Nordstrom-Lindholm-Wagner

Krug-Carlo

Grzelcyk-McAvoy

Chara-Clifton

Halak

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