Bruins Game Day Preview: DeBrincat, High-Octane Red Wings Offense Pose First Atlantic Division Test For Boston

The Boston Bruins (6-0-1) host Detroit (5-2-1) in their first Eastern Conference matchup of the season. Projected lines and thoughts on the matchup from Jim Montgomery and Charlie Coyle below:

BRIGHTON, Mass. – The Boston Bruins kick off a four-game run against Atlantic Division opponents on Saturday, bookended with matchups against the Detroit Red Wings.

It will be Boston’s first meeting with an Eastern Conference opponent this season, and while they did not go through line rushes at the optional morning skate, here is how they are projected to line up:

Brad Marchand - Pavel Zacha - David Pastrnak

Jake DeBrusk - Matt Poitras - Morgan Geekie

James van Riemsdyk - Charlie Coyle - Trent Frederic

Oskar Steen - Johnny Beecher - Patrick Brown

Matt Grzelcyk - Charlie McAvoy

Hampus Lindholm - Brandon Carlo

Derek Forbort - Kevin Shattenkirk

Jeremy Swayman

Linus Ullmark

After placing Milan Lucic on long-term injured reserve, the Bruins called up Steen from AHL Providence, and he will play on Saturday, likely on the fourth line with Beecher and Brown.

Bruins coach Jim Montgomery confirmed Swayman will start in net, continuing his rotation with Ullmark every other game.

The Red Wings come in with a star forward pairing that finds itself in the thick of the scoring race in the young season.

Alex DeBrincat leads the NHL with nine goals, and is third in the league with 13 points. Dylan Larkin is second in the league in points with 15, and the Bruins will be focused on locking down both players on Saturday.

“They’ve been a dynamo. 5-on-5 and the power play,” Montgomery said about the DeBrincat-Larkin combo on Saturday morning. “We got to stay out of the box tonight and our rush defense and our reads and our defensemen having good gas is going to be really important for us to have success.”

DeBrincat and Larkin are two of 15 players that lead the NHL with three power play goals, but the Bruins boast the top penalty kill in the league, allowing just one goal on 30 opportunities (96.7%).

The offensive success doesn’t stop with those two forwards, as defensemen Shayne Gostisbehere (three goals, six assists) and Moritz Seider (one goal, seven assists) are each averaging a point per game or better. The Red Wings are scoring 4.38 goals per game, better than every team except for the Los Angeles Kings (4.57). The Bruins, meanwhile, have the best scoring defense so far (1.57 goals against per game).

“We want to stay out [of the penalty box], and 5-on-5, that’s what we want to play,” Bruins center Charlie Coyle said. “We’re a good team when we play that, because then when you start taking penalties, some guys who don’t play special teams, they get lost in the bench, and they’re not playing as much. You want everyone to kind of just rolling the lines in a perfect world. But every game’s different.”

The puck drops at 7 p.m. Follow along with The Hockey News for all the coverage.