Bruce Cassidy didn’t expect the cleanest of outings from his six defensemen entering Game 4 without Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm.
The Boston Bruins encountered some mishaps against the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday afternoon, failing to cover the slot on Brett Pesce’s first-period marker and struggling to clear the zone on Jordan Staal’s tally early in the middle frame. But collectively, Brandon Carlo, Matt Grzelcyk, Derek Forbort, Josh Brown, Connor Clifton and Mike Reilly, filled in admirably in the next-man-up scenario without McAvoy and Lindholm to even the series.
“I think collectively, we’re all going to pick up a couple more minutes,” Clifton said of the defensive approach without McAvoy and Lindholm.