Bruce Cassidy gives updates for crucial Game 6 on Thursday

PUBLICATION

Dorin Canaday
May 11, 2022 (12:50)

SHARE THIS STORY

The Boston Bruins lost game five 5-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes and are officially on the brink of elimination in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference Quarterfinal matchup. The Bruins will be back at home in TD Garden, where they are currently 2-0 in the playoffs and have outscored the Hurricanes 9-4.

Early Wednesday morning, Bruins' head coach Bruce Cassidy gave updates on what the lineup may look like for Thursday's must-win game six.

Most notably, the status of defenseman Hampus Lindholm, who has been out of the lineup since taking a massive hit from Hurricanes' forward Andrei Svechnikov in game two of the series:

"He's out there [practising] now, and I anticipate he'll play. I could probably give you a better, more definitive answer in the morning, but he should be good to go and Charle [McAvoy], obviously. So we'll have a decision to make on the backend and all those we'll make tomorrow. First, start with Lindholm and how does that domino effect everyone else."

Getting Lindholm back in the lineup changes more than just the overall defence of the Boston Bruins but also the responsibilities of the forwards too. Lindholm is maybe the best defender at zone exits on the Bruins, which directly affects how much defensive responsibility is put on the forwards. With him in the lineup, I genuinely believe Boston's forwards will be able to have a greater focus on offence.

Cassidy was asked if he senses any fatigue with goaltender Jeremy Swayman after a couple of shakier goals given up on Tuesday night:

"No. I mean, I don't think he looked his best yesterday. What it comes down to for me is a little bit of what happened ... game three, big, big saves early on. On DeAngelo and the breakaway for Martinook gives us a little bit of, 'Hey, let's find our game.' Even though they scored first, I thought those were important, timely saves. Last night we didn't get it."

Cassidy confirmed that Swayman will be the starter once again for game six. He's 2-1 in the series with a goals-against-average of 2.68 and a save percentage of .911.

A positive is that the Boston Bruins seem like a totally different team on home ice, and it might come down to line matching advantages with the last change. Game six is obviously a must-win situation for the Bruins before they even have to worry about trying to figure out how to win one on the road.

Watch coach Bruce Cassidy's full media coverage here:

MUST READ