Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said that defenseman Brandon Carlo, who missed overtime in Game 5 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, is good to go for Game 6 on Thursday in Toronto, according to Elliotte Friedman of SportsNet.
Brandon Carlo is a key member of the Bruins’ blue line. He regularly plays on the second defensive pairing alongside Hampus Lindholm. The Bruins were without Carlo in overtime on Tuesday, which did not last long, as Matthew Knies scored just 2:26 into overtime to give the Maple Leafs the win.
This season, Carlo has played in 64 games, scoring three goals and recording eight assists for 11 points, according to NHL.com. He has one goal in these playoffs. That came in the second period of Game 1 in the series, which Boston won 5-1.
It will be interesting to see if Carlo is hampered by anything that he was dealing with in Game 6. With him in the lineup, the Bruins can run their usual pairings. The top pairing is Mason Lohrei with Charlie McAvoy, then Hampus Lindholm with Carlo as previously mentioned, and the third pairing is Matt Grzelcyk and Parker Wotherspoon.
The absence of Carlo likely would have resulted in either Wotherspoon stepping into the second pairing, or McAvoy taking on more minutes. Carlo’s presence will help the Bruins’ defensemen stay fresh throughout Game 6, where they will try to close out the series on the road.
Bruins looking to sting Maple Leafs again
In recent memory, the Bruins have beaten the Maple Leafs in the playoffs multiple times. The most memorable one was back in 2013, when Boston held a 3-1 series lead, but eventually went to Game 7. In that Game 7, the Bruins fell down 4-1 in the third period, but stormed back with three goals, two of them late with the goalie pulled, then won in overtime. It was one of, if not the most heartbreaking loss in Maple Leafs history.
Next, the Bruins and Maple Leafs met in the playoffs in 2018. The Maple Leafs took the Bruins to seven games once again, but lost. That happened again in 2019.
The Bruins have been the nemesis for the Maple Leafs in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a long time, and if Toronto does win this series, it would be a monkey off the back. The Bruins are once again looking to end the Maple Leafs’ season with disappointment.
Boston will look to end the series before seven games this time around. They have been unsuccessful in the past. Game 6 will be played on the road, but the Bruins have shown to not be bothered playing in that environment, winning games three and four of the series on the road.
It will be interesting to see if the Bruins can close out the series, or if the Maple Leafs force another Game 7.
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