Bruce Cassidy confirms Ryan Donato will be in the lineup for Game 4
The puck drops at 7 p.m. Friday.
Coach Bruce Cassidy confirmed at Friday’s optional morning skate that left winger Ryan Donato will be in the lineup for Game 4 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
It is still unknown where in the lineup Donato will play, as fellow left wingers Brad Marchand and Jake DeBrusk were ruled game-time decisions. Both were absent at practice Thursday morning.
DeBrusk, who was on the ice Friday morning, told reporters he cut his ear in Game 3 Wednesday and had to get it stitched up, but said he’s feeling good.
.@jdebrusk out early for this morning’s optional pregame skate. #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/WoxcyDHv17
— x – Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) May 4, 2018
“They have some nicks,” Cassidy told reporters. “I believe they will play.”
If both Marchand and DeBrusk are a go, it’s likely Donato will enter the third line — one that has been a concern for Cassidy — to play alongside some combination of Danton Heinen, Riley Nash, and David Backes. He could also enter the second line with DeBrusk and center David Krecji, which would move Rick Nash to the third line. Cassidy did say there will be a spot for Donato in second power-play unit.
Donato, a 22-year-old Harvard student from Scituate, signed an entry-level deal with the Bruins in March after competing in the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. He played in 12 regular-season games, scoring five goals and notching four assists. He has yet to play in the team’s series against the Lightning, but made his postseason debut in Game 2 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
