James van Riemsdyk and Mason Lohrei will reenter the lineup as the Boston Bruins take on the Nashville Predators Tuesday night.
The Boston Bruins will face the Nashville Predators Tuesday at Bridgestone Arena for an 8 p.m. ET puck drop as they continue their six-game road trip.
Nashville is a team vying for its playoff life, so Boston will likely be met with a familiar do-or-die style of hockey from its opponent.
“They’re a great transitional team, especially offensively. Defensively, everybody’s buying, everybody’s committed,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomey said to the media of the Predators. “They got four lines, six D, their D are up in every rush. They’re playing real good hockey.”
The Bruins are coming off a 3-2 shootout win over the Washington Capitals Saturday, but have lost three of their last five games. The group is still working to find consistency in its play and lineup ahead of the postseason.
While Montgomery shook up every combination last week, it seems Boston’s forward group will return to previous form. James van Riemsdyk will slot back into the lineup, per Montgomery, and will likely skate on the third line with Morgan Geekie and Trent Frederic.
Van Riemsdyk was scratched Saturday after battling an illness – the combination saw him sidelined for five out of the last eight games. The veteran forward last played Wednesday in the 3-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, and hasn’t logged a point since March 2.
“The strengths of my game are just playing smart, playing with detail, making the right play all the time and playing within the structure of the team,” van Riemsdyk said to the media Tuesday. “Those are the things that we’re trying to work on at this time of year.”
In terms of improvements in van Riemsdyk’s game, Montgomery said he wants to see him be on top of pucks and executing in all three zones.
Rookie Mason Lohrei will also reenter the lineup, per Montgomery. The defenseman was on the second pair with Brandon Carlo during Monday’s practice, and will likely stay there against the Predators.
Oct 14, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins center Charlie Coyle (13) controls the puck against Nashville Predators left wing Cole Smith (36) during the third period at the TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY SportsHampus Lindholm moved up to the first pair with Charlie McAvoy, and Kevin Shattenkirk and Andrew Peeke remain on the third pair. Matt Grzelcyk and Parker Wotherspoon are the probable scratches.
Linus Ullmark is set to get the start in Nashville. The goaltender has a 2.64 goals against average and .914 save percentage through 36 games. Ullmark last played Wednesday in the loss against Tampa Bay and made 30 saves.
With just seven games left in the regular season, the Bruins are focused on perfecting their craft come Game 1.
“We are looking to hone in on some of the sharper details and just really make sure we are cleaning a lot of things up structurally – just the things that it takes to play at this time of year,” van Riemsdyk said.
Five things to know about the Predators:
- Nashville is on a two-game losing streak, most recently falling to the Colorado Avalanche 7-4 on Saturday. However, in their last 18 games, the Predators have a 16-0-2 record. The team sits in the Pacific Division’s first wild card spot with 90 points.
- Filip Forsberg leads the team with 84 points (41 goals, 43 assists) through 74 games. The forward is on the first line with Ryan O’Reilly and Gustav Nyquist, and has 10 points in his last five games.
- Juuse Saros is expected to start against Boston. The goaltender has a 2.83 GAA and .906 SV% through 58 games. Saros last played Thursday against the Arizona Coyotes and made 27 saves in the loss.
- The Predators’ first defensive pair of Roman Josi and Ryan McDonagh have combined for 104 points this season. McDonagh also leads the team with a plus-20 rating.
- Nashville’s power play percentage is ranked 19th in the league at 20.5. Its 76.3 penalty kill percentage is ranked 26th in the league. O’Reilly leads the team with 14 power play goals while skating on the first unit with Forsberg, Josi, Nyquist and Cody Glass.
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