Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said his lineup is still up in the air ahead of Saturday's 7 p.m. game at TD Garden against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Boston Bruins will face the Tampa Bay Lightning Saturday night at TD Garden for a 7 p.m. puck drop in the second of four regular season games between the teams.
The Bruins and Lightning last played Nov. 20 at Amalie Arena where Brandon Hagel secured the 5-4 win for Tampa Bay in overtime.
Boston is coming off of a 6-5 loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins Thursday night, snapping its previous four-game win streak.
Following Saturday’s morning skate, head coach Jim Montgomery said he didn’t have a concrete lineup set. However, Matt Poitras – who is back with the Bruins after representing Canada in the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship – centered the third line between Danton Heinen and Trent Frederic during practice.
Montgomery said Poitras was “an option” against the Lightning.
“We’ve talked a lot about him, about his game management, not extending shifts. Managing the game and working back towards our goal line,” Montgomery said of the 19 year old. “When he has the puck on his stick, he makes plays. That’s what excites us about him.”
Regular third-liner James van Riemsdyk did not practice with the team Saturday. Montgomery said the veteran is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. Trent Frederic slotted into van Riemsdyk’s place on the second power play unit with Kevin Shattenkirk, Hampus Lindholm, Jake DeBrusk and Charlie Coyle.
Mason Lohrei was also absent from Saturday’s skate, but Montgomery said he will be available for the game. The rookie defenseman was getting more dental repairs after taking a puck to the face Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The first line remained untouched with Morgan Geekie centering Pavel Zacha and David Pastrnak. For a player that has contributed in the top and bottom six this season, Geekie has continued to be a stable presence between two of the Bruins’ top guys.
“Opportunity lends itself a lot in this league because of injuries, because of shifts in the team winning or losing and he’s taking advantage of it,” Montgomery said of Geekie. “I think he’s developing some real consistency to his game as far as how hard he is to play against on both ends of the ice.”
Linus Ullmark will start in net for the Bruins. The goaltender has a 2.72 goals against average and .918 save percentage through 19 games. Ullmark last played Tuesday against the Blue Jackets and made 27 saves in the 4-1 win.
Saturday morning's practice lines:
Zacha-Geekie-Pastrnak
Marchand-Coyle-DeBrusk
Heinen-Poitras-Frederic
Lauko-Beecher-Steen
Merkulov
Grzelcyk-McAvoy
Lindholm-Carlo
Wotherspoon-Shattenkirk
Ullmark
Swayman
Five things to know about the Lightning:
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