Game Day Preview: Boston Bruins Take On Top-Ranked Vancouver Canucks
Justin Brazeau is back in the lineup for Jakub Lauko as the Boston Bruins face the Vancouver Canucks Saturday night at Rogers Arena.
Game Day Preview: Boston Bruins Take On Top-Ranked Vancouver CanucksThe Boston Bruins will look to get back in the win column Saturday night as they face the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena for a 7 p.m. puck drop. The game marks the second and final time the teams will meet this regular season.
“They’re a really good team, they’re an elite team, they have been all year. I think they are going to be really good tonight. We have to be ready,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said of the Canucks.
The Bruins and Canucks both sit at the top of the league, each with 80 points, but Boston has a game in hand. The two squads last played Feb. 8 at TD Garden, where the B’s won 4-0 and potted two short-handed goals in the first period.
Boston is coming off a 3-2 overtime loss against the Calgary Flames on Thursday, but have won two of its last three games since the homestand slump. Charlie Coyle scored twice in Thursday’s loss, and hit the 20-goal mark for the first time since 2015-16.
Montgomery switched up the lines, returning to combinations seen earlier this month. Here’s what the forward group is expected to look like:
Brad Marchand-Charlie Coyle-Jake DeBrusk
James van Riemsdyk-Pavel Zacha-David Pastrnak
Danton Heinen-Morgan Geekie-Trent Frederic
Anthony Richard-Jesper Boqvist-Justin Brazeau
“We’ve had success with the way the lines are, top three lines. It’s more putting familiarity back together. As odd as that sounds with the way I jumble lines,” Montgomery said.
Jeremy Swayman will get the start against the Canucks. The goaltender has a 2.47 goals against average and .920 save percentage through 32 games. Swayman last played Wednesday in the 6-5 overtime win over the Edmonton Oilers and made 42 stops.
Hampus Lindholm remains out with a week-to-week, lower-body injury and, per Montgomery, Matt Grzelcyk is a game-time decision. The Bruins called defenseman Ian Mitchell up from AHL Providence on Thursday and he could slot into the lineup if Grzelcyk can’t go. Mitchell has played 13 games with Boston this season, recording two assists.
Five things to know about the Canucks:
- The Canucks are coming off a 5-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken Thursday in which their record dropped to 37-16-6, good for first place in the Pacific Division.
- JT Miller leads Vancouver with 76 points (29 goals, 47 assists), including seven points in the last five games. The 30-year-old forward is skating on the second line with Arshdeep Bains and Brock Boeser.
- Boeser leads the Canucks with 31 goals, and has four points in the last five games. The winger has a team-best 12 power-play goals, and is on the first unit with Miller, Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek.
- Vancouver’s power play percentage ranks 13th in the league at 22.5. Their 78.5 penalty kill percentage ranks 21st in the league.
- Thatcher Demko is expected to get the start against the Bruins. The goaltender has a 2.48 GAA and .917 SV% through 43 games, and last played Thursday against Seattle and made 30 saves. Demko played at Boston College from 2013-2016.
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