BRIGHTON, Massachusetts – It might have been a bit surprising for his Bruins teammates to see David Pastrnak absent from ice practice on Thursday after skating with the team the day before. And even more to know in the following days that he had returned to quarantine after exposure to someone who tested positive for COVID-19.
But it seemed the Bruins were taking it all in when asked about it on Saturday, although he didn’t seem too concerned that his top scorer was going to be out for an extended period of time.
His linemate Brad Marchand even felt it was okay to make a decision at Pastrnak’s expense amid much misguided speculation before Pastrnak’s agent JP Barry confirmed to NBCSportsBoston.com that No. 88 was actually on quarantined and tested negative for COVID-19. .
Circumstances explain Pastrnak’s presence in practice on Wednesday before he was quarantined, and he debunked theories that his “unfit to participate” designation was about his conditioning, or some type of disciplinary action by the Bruins.
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“It’s kind of news for me about Pasta. I thought I only had a two-day hangover, ”Marchand said jokingly, with a laugh in an expanded call Saturday afternoon with reporters. “Pasta is going to be back for the playoffs, I’m not really doing too much research. The chemistry doesn’t take long to recover with us. Even when I’m going down [the ice] With Bjorky now and Bergy, we are looking [to pass] in areas where Pasta is normally established.
“I’m trying to hone my skills and what I need to work on to get back to my game.” [needs to be] On ice. That chemistry thing, when we do line exercises, it comes back very quickly. It is not something that [Patrice Bergeron] and I’m concerned. “
However, one issue it raises is the possibility that a player may be absent for COVID-19 reasons once the games start playing next month. Even with a full two-week quarantine period, Pastrnak would go back to practicing and skating before the Bs play in any round-robin game, so there is no real danger that he or Ondrej Kase will have gone to the games. playoffs provided they give a negative result between now and then.
But it gives the Bruins a little mental preparation on what it would be like if a teammate, or an opponent, were suddenly unavailable at a key point in a playoff series in the coming months. Still, Marchand tends to think that the conditions inside the hub city bubbles in Toronto and Edmonton are going to avoid most of the NHL COVID-19 problems we are seeing right now.
“The times we are in are unfortunate, but this is the new reality right now anyway. The team just has to be willing to be tough and fight him, and we’ve done it [before]. We’ve done it the last few years where we’ve had a lot of guys and we’ve suffered a lot of injuries, ”said Marchand. “There is definitely a chance that a team will be in the conference finals, or the finals, and lose one of their best players.” With the way things are going to be organized, I would expect that once we get into the bubble, I can’t imagine a lot of guys getting sick. It will be quite blocked. We will stay away from everyone else.
“Obviously there will be an opportunity, but I would expect them to do everything they can to make sure that doesn’t happen.” That could cost a team or organization millions of dollars if they lose one of their best players during the final. They will do what they can to make sure that doesn’t happen. “
The best case scenario could have Pastrnak back in the fold sometime next week once he has removed the quarantine and tested negative for the COVID-19 virus again. That’s obviously what all Bruins expect right now when it comes to the health and well-being of Pastrnak and Kase.
“It’s tough news, obviously,” said Charlie McAvoy. “But I think everyone has taken it seriously and we know what we need to do to be in a good position for success. [during the playoffs]. I didn’t know anyone who had it and I hope that’s the case here. “
