Boston Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said Derek Forbort is "probable" to return Thursday. The defenseman hasn't play since Oct. 30.
The Boston Bruins will be back on home ice Thursday night as they host the New York Islanders for a 7 p.m. puck drop after going 1-1-0 on their two-game road trip.
“They’re playing a lot more aggressive offensively which I think has made them better offensively. They’re giving up a little bit more, but they’re still a really good defensive team,” Bruins coach Jim Montgomery said of the Islanders.
The B’s are coming off a character 3-2 win over the Dallas Stars on Monday, bouncing back from the 5-4 loss against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday.
While defensemen Charlie McAvoy (suspension) and Matt Grzelcyk (upper-body) remain out of the lineup, Montgomery said Derek Forbort is “probable” to return against the Islanders. Forbort hasn’t played since Oct. 30 against the Florida Panthers, sidelined with an undisclosed injury.
“It’s been something that’s been nagging him, to be honest, since like the third day of camp,” Montgomery said of Forbort’s injury.
Getting a veteran defenseman like Forbort back on the blue line could be a big boost for the Bruins who have been making it work short-handed with some of their younger prospects.
“Not only the penalty kill, but defensively, he’s a big body and he’s mean back there,” Montgomery said of Forbort. “So it’s a physical presence and they know time and space is hard to get when he’s on the ice.”
Forbort practiced on his regular third pair with Kevin Shattenkirk during Thursday’s morning skate at Warrior Ice Arena. With Forbort back, Parker Wotherspoon skated with McAvoy and will likely be scratched.
Nov 6, 2023; Dallas, Texas, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Brad Marchand (63) in action during the game between the Dallas Stars and the Boston Bruins at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY SportsHere’s what the rest of the lineup looked like on Thursday morning:
Brad Marchand - Pavel Zacha - David Pastrnak
James van Riemsdyk - Charlie Coyle - Trent Frederic
Danton Heinen - Matt Poitras - Jake DeBrusk
Patrick Brown - Johnny Beecher - Oskar Steen
Jakub Lauko
Hampus Lindholm - Ian Mitchell
Mason Lohrei - Brandon Carlo
Derek Forbort - Kevin Shattenkirk
Parker Wotherspoon - Charlie McAvoy
Linus Ullmark
Jeremy Swayman
Of note, Brad Marchand lost an edge, went hard into the boards and left practice for a couple minutes before returning to the ice. The captain seems good to go for game action, though.
Danton Heinen was moved to the third line with Matthew Poitras at center and Jake DeBrusk on the right wing in the absence of Morgan Geekie, who is week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Heinen has yet to play with Poitras, but Montgomery thinks it will be a good match.
“I think his hockey IQ, his puck support, his ability to win loose puck battles,” Montgomery said of Heinen. “We think it’s going to allow Poitras to have the puck more. Poitras is a great puck possession guy, and those two guys [Heinen and DeBrusk] know how to get open and support him.”
Nov 6, 2023; Dallas, Texas, USA; Boston Bruins center Matthew Poitras (51) skates against the Dallas Stars during the first period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY SportsFive things to know about the Islanders
- The Islanders have opened the season with a 5-3-3 record, most recently falling 4-2 to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday and ending a five-game point streak.
- Defenseman Noah Dobson leads the team in points thus far with 11 (four goals, seven assists) through 11 games played.
- Forward Brock Nelson leads the team in scoring with five goals.
- First line regular Bo Horvat is sidelined for the Islanders with a day-to-day, lower-body injury, but will be a game-time decision on Thursday. Oliver Wahlstrom has slotted in for Horvat, playing Anders Lee and Matthew Barzal who moved to center.
- Illya Sorokin has started seven of 11 games for the Islanders, posting a 3.12 goals against average and .911 save percentage. Semyon Varlamov has four starts with a 1.77 GAA and .950 SV%.
Game start is at 7 p.m. at TD Garden, and The Hockey News will have full coverage of the conference matchup.