David Pastrnak He practiced with the Boston Bruins on Monday in Toronto, the central city for the 12 Eastern Conference teams participating in the Stanley Cup Qualifiers.
It was the first time the striker had practiced with the entire team since training camp opened on July 13. He skated once with a smaller group on July 15, but has since been declared “unfit to participate.” He missed the first two days of camp due to international quarantine rules for players arriving from Europe, according to Bruins general manager Don Sweeney.
As part of the NHL Back to Play Plan, a team may not disclose information about the player’s injuries or illnesses.
Coach Bruce Cassidy said before practice on Monday that the Bruins were planning to reinsert Pastrnak on the top line with Patrice bergeron and Brad Marchand after Anders Bjork skated in place during camp. It is unknown if Pastrnak will be in the lineup when Boston plays an exhibition game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; NHLN, TVAS, FS-O, NESN, NHL.TV).
“It looks great,” said Cassidy. “He probably needs a haircut. Other than that I hope he is ready to go, excited to be back with his teammates. You know Pasta: he loves the game, he loves being around his teammates, he has a lot of personality Very gregarious young man. So it will be good to have him back. “
Pastrnak scored 48 goals this season, tying Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin for NHL lead. The 24-year-old scored 20 best power goals in the NHL and 95 points in the NHL, the best of his career in 70 games for the Bruins, who will play the Philadelphia Flyers (August 2), Tampa Bay Lightning (5 of August). ) and Capitals (August 9) in the round-robin portion of the Qualifiers at Scotiabank Arena to determine qualification for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Cassidy said she anticipated Pastrnak conditioning will be where the Bruins need him to be in the Qualifiers. Throughout the camp, his linemates expressed confidence in their ability to rediscover their chemistry quickly once they are all on the ice together.
“We continue where we left off,” Bergeron said Monday. “He’s going to have to get used to getting on the ice, skating and getting his rhythm back, his rhythm, all of that. We’re going to try to help him as much as we can. I don’t know if he really needs all of that. He’s one of those guys who is coming back and he’s so talented that always seems easy.
“So I hope he comes back and obviously it might be a little rusty, but with that said, we have a little time before we start.”
Zdeno Chara he remained out of practice under the direction of Bruins’ medical advisers until they receive the results of a COVID-19 test that was given to the defender on Sunday.
Ahead Ondrej Kase He is not in Toronto, but he is expected to join the Bruins at a later time, Cassidy said. Kase skated once during training camp, after the main practice session on July 15, and has not been on the ice since.
Ahead Nick Ritchie, who traveled with the Bruins on Sunday, missed his fourth consecutive practice.
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