Krejci Returns to Practice as B's Gear Up for Caps

BOSTON - David Krejci returned to practice in full on Tuesday morning at Warrior Ice Arena as the Bruins prepared for their upcoming two-game set with the Washington Capitals. Krejci has missed the last four games with a lower-body injury and could be on track to return to the lineup on Wednesday when the Black & Gold look to build on their strong bounce-back performance against the New York Rangers on Sunday afternoon.
"[We've] got to get together with the medical team and then they'll better assess how he did today," said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy. "But once [Wednesday] morning comes we'll make a decision. There could be residual effects…until he feels good the following day after a skate, it's tough to say…[Wednesday morning], I'll have a better idea."

With Krejci sidelined for the past few games, Jack Studnicka has stepped in and performed admirably as Boston's third-line center. The 22-year-old appeared more comfortable at his natural position after playing the wing during his first stint with the big club earlier this season.
"We liked what he did…he played very well in the middle, more noticeable in the middle than he was on the wing - for obvious reasons, I think," said Cassidy. "He's a center first. We've discussed this, there wasn't a lot of room for him to play in the middle as our lineup was constructed. Could we have moved people around to accommodate him? Absolutely. Were we prepared to do that at the start of the season? No."
Studnicka picked up two assists over the last four games and rang a couple of chances off the post in back-to-back games against the Rangers, signaling a more confident approach to his game. As such, the former second-round pick is likely to remain in the middle even when Krejci returns. He practiced in between Kuraly and Chris Wagner on Tuesday morning.
"If Krech is healthy, we're still gonna keep him in the middle because we like what he did," said Cassidy. "Move Kuraly to the wing and just sort of re-evaluate our fourth line and what it looks like a little bit and see where it goes. Is it ideal for Jack to be a fourth-line center…he's got to play his game no matter what, no matter who his wingers are.
"He just might see different starts; there might be more in his own end. He's got Sean who can take face-offs on the left dot. This will be good for his defensive game as well. We'll see how he adapts to it and then we'll go accordingly if he can play with different style of players like Wagner or [Anders] Bjork, Kuraly, whatever, as opposed to when he was with [Trent] Frederic and [Jake] DeBrusk."

Wagner, meanwhile, was back in his familiar fourth-line right wing position after sitting out Sunday's win over the Rangers as a healthy scratch. Cassidy believed it was the right time to make some tweaks to the lineup and create a bit of competition among the bottom six.
"He always practices hard. I never have an issue with his effort. To me, I didn't think he was impacting the game well enough," said Cassidy. "We decided to get some people's attention, put some other people in the lineup. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
"At the end of the day, I thought our team responded well, everybody in there played hard, played Bruins hockey. Whether changing the lineup had something to do with the win or not, I don't know."
Krejci centered Nick Ritchie and DeBrusk, who has struggled to find consistency so far this season after a slow start and a lower-body injury that caused him to miss five games at the beginning of February. Cassidy is hoping that DeBrusk and Krejci can rekindle some of the chemistry they've developed over the last few years, even with DeBrusk playing on his off side.
"Jake has more to give," said Cassidy. "I think he's had pockets of real good hockey and some other inconsistent moments where he's not playing to his strengths to affect the game - by that I mean, turn some pucks over on the forecheck, attack and get inside ice when you have an opportunity…second effort around the front of the net, some rebound opportunities."

On the Injury Front

• Matt Grzelcyk, who has been out with injury since Feb. 10, skated in full and is nearing a return to the lineup. The blue liner also practiced on Saturday in New York but was not quite ready to suit up for Sunday's matinee, leaving Cassidy to remain cautious in declaring him a go for Wednesday night against the Capitals.
• Kevan Miller did not practice but has begun some off-ice activity as he takes some time to rest his surgically repaired knee. "He's here, he's doing off ice [work]," said Cassidy. "Obviously will not be in the lineup [on Wednesday]. Once he's back on, I'll give you a definite idea once he starts practicing with the team when he would be available. I think the hope is that as the week goes on, he gets out there with us and see where that leads."
• Ondrej Kase, who has not played since the second game of the season in New Jersey, skated on his own before practice. "I don't have an answer to that," Cassidy said of a potential return. "I'm glad he was out [on the ice]. It was good to see him back out there, but I have not been told when he'll join the group."

Making His Debut

Veteran defenseman Jarred Tinordi, claimed off waivers from the Nashville Predators on Saturday, was cleared to practice with the team after going through COVID protocols upon his arrival in Boston. The 29-year-old, who will be the first player in Bruins history to wear No. 84, will be available to play against the Capitals, though Cassidy has yet to make a decision on whether the newcomer will be in the lineup.
"I'm not gonna tell you today if he's in or not in," said Cassidy, who had him paired with Connor Clifton. "We'll have a conversation with him and see how he responds. He hasn't been on the ice a lot, he had to drive a long way. But he may be ready to go. I'm not gonna rule him out, but I'm not gonna say he's definitely in."

Tuesday's Practice Lineup

FORWARDS
Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - David Pastrnak
Nick Ritchie - David Krejci - Jake DeBrusk
Trent Frederic - Charlie Coyle - Craig Smith
Sean Kuraly - Jack Studnicka - Chris Wagner
Anders Bjork/Greg McKegg
DEFENSEMEN
Jakub Zboril - Charlie McAvoy
Matt Grzelcyk - Brandon Carlo
Jarred Tinordi - Connor Clifton
Urho Vaakanainen - John Moore
Steven Kampfer
GOALIES
Tuukka Rask
Jaroslav Halak
Callum Booth