James van Riemsdyk will be honored for 1000 NHL games in a ceremony prior to puck drop.
The Boston Bruins are back at TD Garden Saturday as they host the Philadelphia Flyers for a 7 p.m. puck drop. The matchup is the second of three meetings between the teams.
The Bruins beat Philadelphia 6-2 on Jan. 27 at Wells Fargo Center, and are coming off a 2-1 overtime win over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday in which Jake DeBrusk notched the game-winning goal.
James van Riemsdyk will be honored pregame for playing 1000 NHL games. The veteran forward’s 1000th game was March 5 against the Edmonton Oilers, but Saturday’s ceremony will include the team that selected him second overall in the 2007 Draft – the Philadelphia Flyers.
“I think the player is as advertised as far as the on-ice set. What you don’t know is the off-ice set. You don’t know how good a teammate and guy he is, and he’s a real good teammate,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said Saturday of van Riemsdyk.
Jakub Lauko, Kevin Shattenkirk and Mason Lohrei will all draw out of the lineup, per Montgomery. New acquisition Andrew Peeke will play his second game as a Bruin – and first at TD Garden – on the third defensive pair with Parker Wotherspoon.
Feb 24, 2024; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Boston Bruins forward James van Riemsdyk (21) awaits the start of play against the Vancouver Canucks during the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports“Coming from where you weren’t necessarily in the playoffs at this time to being right at the top of the standings, fighting for first place in the conference and division – it’s exciting and I haven’t had that in my pro career yet,” Peeke, the former Columbus Blue Jacket, said Saturday.
“You can feel the energy in the room. You can feel each game, what it means to everyone. That’s the most exciting part.”
Johnny Beecher – who was called up from AHL Providence Wednesday – will remain on the fourth line. The 22-year-old rookie played 11:39 Thursday in Montreal and won eight of 11 faceoffs.
“The faceoffs, he’s been really good on faceoffs all year…More importantly, it’s how hard he played at both goal lines, hanging onto pucks, creating turnovers,” Montgomery said of Beecher. “He had a great backcheck. That’s what we want – we want players fighting to stay in the lineup.”
Jeremy Swayman will get the start against the Flyers. The goaltender has a 2.49 goals against average and .920 save percentage through 37 games. Swayman last played Monday in the 5-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues and made 21 saves.
Boston Bruins projected lineup:
Brad Marchand-Charlie Coyle-Jake DeBrusk
James van Riemsdyk-Pavel Zacha-David Pastrnak
Danton Heinen-Morgan Geekie-Trent Frederic
Johnny Beecher-Jesper Boqvist-Justin Brazeau
Matt Grzelcyk-Charlie McAvoy
Hampus Lindholm-Brandon Carlo
Parker Wotherspoon-Andrew Peeke
Jeremy Swayman
Linus Ullmark
Jan 27, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers right wing Travis Konecny (11) controls the puck against the Boston Bruins in the second period at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY SportsFive things to know about the Flyers:
- Philadelphia is coming off a 6-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs Thursday in which it dropped to a 34-25-8 record, good for third place in the Metropolitan Division with 76 points. The Flyers have lost six of their last 10 games, going 4-5-1.
- Travis Konecny leads the Flyers in points and goals with 57 and 27, respectively. The forward is on the first line with Joel Farabee and Scott Laughton, and has four points in his last five games.
- Owen Tippett is second in points on the team with 40 (24 goals, 16 assists). The 25-year-old winger has a team-best five power play goals.
- The Flyers’ power play percentage ranks worst in the league at 13.2. However, their 85.1 penalty kill percentage is third in the league.
- Felix Sandstrom is expected to get the start against Boston. The goaltender has a 3.23 GAA and .846 SV% through three games this season. Sandstrom last played Thursday against Toronto after coming in for Samuel Ersson. He made 15 saves and allowed three goals in the loss.