The Boston Bruins are making some tweaks to their lineup heading into Game 4. Matt Bartkowski takes Andrej Meszaros’ spot on defense while Matt Fraser will make his debut with Jordan Caron being the healthy scratch.
CSNNE.com’s Joe Haggerty reports that Daniel Paille will be on the “Merlot Line” thanks to these shuffles.
In the case of Bartkowski, Haggerty believes that this gives the B’s an increase in speed.
Looks like Matt Bartkowski is in for Andrej Meszaros on defense. That's a good defense. Bart a better option vs speedy Canadiens #BruinsTalk
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) May 8, 2014
That’s likely a bigger impact move than Fraser getting his first bit of action, although the 23-year-old sounds primed for third-line duty. Haggerty reports that Fraser is trying to keep it cool even though this is a dream come true.
“As a kid you play for the Stanley Cup a thousand times when you’re in the street or on the outdoor rink, but not in this environment,” Fraser said. “It’s exciting obviously, for sure. I’m not trying to downplay it all, but once you’re out there you need to find your groove, and play your game.”