The Bruins will look to get back in the win column after dropping their last two games in overtime.
The Boston Bruins open their two-game road trip Friday night against the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre for a 8 p.m. puck drop.
“Being on the road right now is a real good thing I think because we’re together and we know what our mission is,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said Thursday.
The B’s will look to get back in the win column before the holiday break after dropping their last two contests in overtime. In Tuesday’s 4-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild and Saturday’s 2-1 loss to the New York Rangers, the Bruins entered the third period with a one-goal lead.
Closing out games will be a focus for Montgomery’s group.
“I think in a way we almost let teams dictate the play in the third. We kind of wait to see what they’re going to bring after we’ve established our game for two periods,” Kevin Shattenkirk said Thursday.
“It’s an easy fix. It’s something we just need to make sure we are confident playing defense and being aggressive playing defense.”
Pavel Zacha and Charlie McAvoy both reentered the Bruins’ lineup Tuesday night after being out with upper-body injuries. Matt Grzelcyk was injured in Tuesday’s game – but finished it nonetheless – and didn’t practice with the team Thursday.
Per Steve Conroy of The Boston Herald, Montgomery told reporters that Grzelcyk did not make the trip to Winnipeg, and that Mason Lohrei will draw into the lineup in his absence. Lohrei will pair with McAvoy.
Montgomery said Thursday that Grzelcyk's injury was upper body, day-to-day.
Jeremy Swayman will get the start for the Bruins. The netminder has posted a 2.06 goals against average and .933 save percentage through 15 games.
Mar 16, 2023; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Boston Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman (1) celebrates the Bruins win against the Winnipeg Jets at the end of the third period at Canada Life Centre. Mandatory Credit: Terrence Lee-USA TODAY SportsBruins lines and pairs from Thursday’s practice:
Brad Marchand-Pavel Zacha-David Pastrnak
Danton Heinen-Charlie Coyle-Trent Frederic
James van Riemsdyk-Morgan Geekie-Jake DeBrusk
Jakub Lauko-Johnny Beecher-Oskar Steen
Patrick Brown
Mason Lohrei-Charlie McAvoy
Hampus Lindholm-Brandon Carlo
Parker Wotherspoon-Kevin Shattenkirk
Jeremy Swayman
Linus Ullmark
Five things to know about the Jets:
- The Jets are coming off a 5-2 win against the Detroit Red Wings Wednesday night in which they improved to a 19-9-3 record for third place in the Central Division.
- Connor Hellebuyck is expected to start in net for Winnipeg. The goaltender has played in 23 games this season and has a 2.43 goals against average and .916 save percentage. Hellebuyck signed a seven-year contract extension with the Jets in October.
- Forward Mark Scheifele leads the Jets in points with 34 (12 goals, 22 assists) while centering the first line with Nikolaj Ehlers and Gabriel Vilardi. Winnipeg’s leading goal-scorer, Kyle Connor, is sidelined for six to eight weeks with a lower-body injury after leaving Dec. 10’s game against the Anaheim Ducks due to a knee-on-knee collision. Connor potted 17 goals before getting injured.
- The Jets’ special teams have struggled this season. Their power play percentage (16.7) is 24th in the league and their penalty kill percentage (74.5 percent) is 27th in the league. The Bruins’ power play percentage (24.5) ranks seventh, and their penalty kill percentage (87.5) is the best in the NHL.
- Defenseman Brenden Dillon leads Winnipeg with 84 hits while skating on the second pair with Neal Pionk. Trent Frederic leads the Bruins in hits with 54.