The Boston Bruins are having one last dress rehearsal before the big shows begins this weekend.
The Bruins host the New Jersey Devils tonight inside TD Garden for game #82, the final regular season game of the season.
With a win, the Bruins clinch a first-round matchup against the Buffalo Sabres, who clinched the Atlantic Division last night.
A loss of any kind, and the Bruins could end up against the Carolina Hurricanes, if the Ottawa Senators win tomorrow night against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Bruins will have a distinct edge over the Sabres and Hurricanes in net, which will need to be their biggest X-Factor.
As such, Bruins Head Coach Marco Sturm revealed that Jeremy Swayman will start tonight, as he looks to springboard a strong final effort into a huge playoff opportunity.
Sturm indicated tonight will be as full a lineup as possible, with just a couple of game-time calls (Source: Scott McLaughlin).
James Hagens will play in his TD Garden debut, likely remaining with Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov on the third line.
The game-time decisions are not clear, but based on Sturm's words, he wants tonight's lineup to be as close to what it will be for Game 1 as possible.
Tanner Jeannot and Mason Lohrei are the only Bruins known to have been dealing with some type of nagging injuries.
Jeannot was a game-time decision due to an injury against the Toronto Maple Leafs a few weeks ago. Lohrei missed four straight games at the end of March and beginning of April, so he may miss out tonight.
Alex Steeves may remain in the lineup for Jeannot, while one of Henri Jokiharju or Jordan Harris could play in Lohrei's place.
This story will be updated after warmups
POST WARMUPS UPDATE:
Casey Mittelstadt misses out tonight. Mikey Eyssimont draws in.
Projected Bruins Lines:
Forwards:
Morgan Geekie - Elias Lindholm - David Pastrnak
Mikey Eyssimont - Pavel Zacha - Viktor Arvidsson
James Hagens - Fraser Minten - Marat Khusnutdinov
Tanner Jeannot - Sean Kuraly - Mark Kastelic
Defense & Starting Goalie:
Jonathan Aspirot - Charlie McAvoy
Hampus Lindholm - Mason Lohrei
Nikita Zadorov - Andrew Peeke
Jeremy Swayman