Bruins Practice Notes: Zac Rinaldo Absent; David Pastrnak Skates Again

WILMINGTON, Mass. — Zac Rinaldo was the lone Bruins player not in attendance Tuesday morning as the team returned to practice at Ristuccia Arena.

Head coach Claude Julien called the absence a “maintenance day” for Rinaldo, who logged 8:53 of ice time and recorded five hits and one fight in Monday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers.

David Pastrnak, who has missed the last 19 games with a fractured foot, practiced again Tuesday. The 19-year-old winger skated as the fourth forward on Boston’s fourth line, with the rest of the lines and defensive pairings remaining unchanged from Monday:

Brad Marchand — Patrice Bergeron — Brett Connolly
Matt Beleskey — David Krejci — Loui Eriksson
Frank Vatrano — Ryan Spooner — Jimmy Hayes
Landon Ferraro — Max Talbot — Tyler Randell/David Pastrnak

Zdeno Chara — Adam McQuaid
Dennis Seidenberg — Colin Miller
Torey Krug — Kevan Miller
Joe Morrow — Zach Trotman

The Bruins begin a home-and-home against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday at TD Garden.

Some additional notes from Tuesday’s practice:

— The Penguins’ recent hiring of former Bruins head coach Mike Sullivan means this week’s games will be a throwback to the 2004 Eastern Conference quarterfinals between Sullivan’s B’s and Julien’s Montreal Canadiens.

Julien was asked Tuesday if he remembers anything in particular about that series, which the Canadiens rallied to win in seven games. His answer? Nope.

“I don’t remember anything,” the coach said. “That’s too far away. That’s 12 years ago, right? My memory’s not that good, honestly.”

— After practice, the Bruins headed out to local hospitals to deliver the holiday toys they purchased last month.

Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images