Boston Bruins forward Morgan Geekie will skate against his former Seattle Kraken team Thursday night at TD Garden.
The Boston Bruins will look to defend home ice Thursday night as they welcome the Seattle Kraken to TD Garden for a 7 p.m. puck drop. The game marks the first time the teams are meeting this season.
“Obviously pretty familiar with them,” Morgan Geekie, who played for Seattle from 2021-2023, said Thursday. “They work hard, they play solid both ends of the ice, and they can roll four lines pretty well. They’re a good team, but the way we’re trending and building as a team, I think we are going to come to play tonight.”
The B’s are coming off a 3-2 shootout loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday. While they have lost three of their first four games after All-Star break, the Bruins felt better about their overall performance against the Lightning.
“Consistency. We’ve been one bad game, one good game since the All-Star break. I want to see two good games in a row here,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said Thursday.
Jan 25, 2024; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Boston Bruins center Morgan Geekie (39) lines up for a face-off in the first period against the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY SportsParker Wotherspoon will slot into the lineup in place of Kevin Shattenkirk on the third pair with Derek Forbort. Wotherspoon and Shattenkirk have been trading games pretty consistently, which Montgomery said mostly has to do with matchups.
“I like to not change my attitude every day, have a good attitude every day,” Wotherspoon said Thursday. “If I came in with a bad attitude because I got scratched and that affects the team – that’s just not me. It’s a different situation, but it’s hard to complain in the NHL.”
David Pastrnak – who briefly left Tuesday’s game and didn’t practice with the team Wednesday due to “maintenance” – is good to go against the Kraken, per Montgomery.
Jeremy Swayman is set to get the start against the Kraken. The goaltender has posted a 2.35 goals against average and .922 save percentage through 29 games. Swayman last played Saturday against the Washington Capitals and made 28 saves in the 3-0 loss.
Jan 22, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Parker Wotherspoon (29) congratulates goaltender Jeremy Swayman (1) after their 4-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY SportsThursday was an optional skate without line rushes, but here’s the projected Bruins' lineup:
Brad Marchand-Charlie Coyle-David Pastrnak
Trent Frederic-Pavel Zacha-Jake DeBrusk
James van Riemsdyk-Morgan Geekie-Anthony Richard
Danton Heinen-Jesper Boqvist-Oskar Steen
Matt Grzelcyk-Charlie McAvoy
Hampus Lindholm-Brandon Carlo
Derek Forbort-Parker Wotherspoon
Jeremy Swayman
Linus Ullmark
Five things to know about the Kraken:
- Seattle is coming off a 2-1 shootout win over the New York Islanders on Tuesday in which it improved to a 22-21-10 record – good for sixth place in the Pacific Division with 54 points. The Kraken have dropped two of their first three games after All-Star break.
- Oliver Bjorkstrand leads the team in points with 40 (13 goals, 17 assists). The forward is on the third line with Eeli Tolvanen and Yanni Gourde. Bjorkstrand has two points in the last five games, but hasn’t registered a point in the last four games.
- Jared McCann leads Seattle with 21 goals while skating on the first line with Matty Beniers and Jordan Eberle. The winger has five points in the last five games, and seven of his goals have come on the power play – a team best.
- The Kraken’s special teams have struggled this season. Their power play percentage ranks 17th in the league at 20.6, and their 78.5 penalty kill percentage sits at 21st place.
- Joey Daccord is expected to get the start against the Bruins. The goaltender has a 2.36 GAA and .921 SV% through 36 games. Daccord last played Monday against the New Jersey Devils and made 37 saves in the 3-1 loss. Daccord is a Boston native and his dad, Brian Daccord, is the goaltending coach for the Boston University men’s hockey team.
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