Grzelcyk out of protocol Bruins, can play game 7

BOSTON – Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk has been cleared following a concussion and is expected to play in the seventh game of the Stanley Cup final on Wednesday, said coach Bruce Cassidy.

"It will be a decision to make at the time of the match," said Cassidy. "But it looks like it's going to come in."

Cassidy said rookie Connor Clifton would likely be eliminated from the squad if Grzelcyk faced the St. Louis Blues.

Grzelcyk has been missing since the second game, when he was attacked by Blues striker Oskar Sundqvist, who served a one-game suspension.

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The Bruins were hoping Grzelcyk could come back in Game 5, but the team's doctors would not have released the concussion protocol.

Grzelcyk, however, skated with the team for a weekend in a brown shirt without contact.

Cassidy said he was not worried that Grzelcyk would need time to find his game because with such a situation, "adrenaline would probably allow you to get through."

"One thing about Matt, he's going there [after] "A few games are missing, he's skating with us," Cassidy said. "It's not like he jumped on the ice yesterday, he participates, though without contact, so he's a different animal out there."

"But at this time of year, you do not get a lot of contacts in practice anyway, so he'll have to understand – because he's obviously been through the first and a half game or whatever in St. Louis – that it's going to be physical, he's been there, he's been watching, he knows he has to come back quickly, make the decisions with that and get a shot at making a game. is what is required – it's usually against this team. "

Grzelcyk, 25, played 66 games in the regular season with the Bruins and 19 playoff games. He scored three goals and collected four assists, while he had accumulated 16:22 of ice time on average in the playoffs.