The Bruins and Devils last met Dec. 13 at Prudential Center where Boston lost 2-1 in overtime.
BRIGHTON, Mass. – Georgii Merkulov will make his NHL debut Saturday night at TD Garden as the Boston Bruins host the New Jersey Devils for a 7 p.m. puck drop in the teams’ second meeting of the season.
The Bruins and Devils last played Dec. 13 at Prudential Center, where Boston fell 2-1 in overtime with Morgan Geekie as its lone goal-scorer. The B’s snapped a four-game losing streak Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres with a 4-1 win, and will look to build on that against a New Jersey team that’s won three straight.
“They play fast. I was impressed, they don’t give up much defensively. They close really quick in the D-zone and they kind of swarm you and don’t give up much,” Brad Marchand said Saturday of the Devils. “You’ve got to compete for everything you get against this group, and expecting a good game.”
Merkulov was called up from AHL Providence Friday morning, and practiced with Boston that day. The 23-year-old forward leads the P-Bruins with 30 points (14 goals, 16 assists), but it’s the improvement of his 200-foot game that earned Merkulov the promotion.
Sep 29, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins center Georgii Merkulov (42) skates with the puck during the third period against the Philadelphia Flyers at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports“Just enjoy it, you always remember this one,” Charlie Coyle said Saturday of Merkulov. “I think he’ll settle in whether it’s after the national anthem or after his first shift, and he’ll just be playing hockey. We’ll help him along the way.”
Merkulov centered the third line with James van Riemsdyk and Trent Frederic during Friday’s practice, and will likely stick with that grouping against the Devils.
“I think he’s excited. He’s got really good talent, he just has to trust his instincts and not try to do too much,” Marchand said. “Sometimes offensive guys feel like they need to produce right away, but it’s just about doing the right things.”
Per Bruins coach Jim Montgomery, Matt Grzelcyk will reenter the lineup after missing three games with an upper-body injury. He’ll skate on the third pair with Kevin Shattenkirk, and Parker Wotherspoon will draw out.
Dec 27, 2023; Buffalo, New York, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) waits for the face-off during the first period against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY SportsBoston’s fourth line will be Danton Heinen-Johnny Beecher-Jakub Lauko, Montgomery said, meaning Oskar Steen will be a scratch for a second consecutive game.
Linus Ullmark will start in net for the Bruins, his first game action since Dec. 23 against the Minnesota Wild due to the holiday break. Ullmark has a 2.87 goals against average and .914 save percentage through 17 games.
“We needed the break, and I think we felt really good coming back,” Marchand said. “Not just the game against Buffalo, but the last couple days in practice have been real high energy.”
Saturday was an optional skate, but based on Friday’s practice, here’s how the Bruins will lineup:
Zacha-Geekie-Pastrnak
Marchand-Coyle-DeBrusk
van Riemsdyk-Merkulov-Frederic
Heinen-Beecher-Lauko
Lohrei-McAvoy
Lindholm-Carlo
Grzelcyk-Shattenkirk
Ullmark
Swayman
Five things to know about the Devils:
- The Devils are coming off a 6-2 win over the Ottawa Senators Friday night in which they improved to a 19-13-2 record, and extended their win streak to three games. The Bruins are the second game in New Jersey’s back-to-back.
- Forward Jack Hughes leads the Devils with 43 points (15 goals, 28 assists) and has logged 10 points (five goals, five assists) in his last eight games. Hughes centers the first line with Tyler Toffoli and Jesper Bratt.
- Toffoli is tied with Hughes for the team-lead in goals (15), and Bratt is second on the team in points with 42 (14 goals, 28 assists). Bratt had a four-point game (one goal, three assists) against Ottawa on Friday.
- Goaltender Vitek Vanecek will likely get the start against the Bruins. Vanecek last played Wednesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets and has a 3.26 GAA and .885 SV% through 22 games.
- The Devils have the second-best power play in the NHL at 29.9 percent, just behind the New York Rangers at 30.6 percent. Their penalty kill, though, is 20th in the league at 79.1 percent.