The Bruins and Canadiens are set for a Thursday night collision at TD Garden, and both teams are bringing some momentum into it. Boston sits atop the Atlantic Division with 27 points, just one ahead of Montreal, which has gone 7-0-3 over its last 10 games. The Bruins are 7-2-1 in that same stretch, so this one has the feel of a matchup where something has to give.
Montreal will get a boost with Mike Matheson returning to the lineup after missing six games. That’s a significant addition for the Canadiens as they get healthier at the right time for a game plenty of people will be watching in Boston.
Mike Matheson sera de retour dans la formation contre les Bruins. Adam Engstrom sera laissé de côté.
Mike Matheson will draw into the lineup tonight against the Bruins. Adam Engstrom will skip his turn. pic.twitter.com/9CL7igrgV9
- Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) November 12, 2026
Boston, meanwhile, will be without young forward James Hagens, who is on injured reserve.
One of the more interesting storylines on the Bruins side is Frederic Brunet, who will skate Thursday on the third pairing with Mason Lohrei. The 23-year-old grew up a Canadiens fan and used to attend games at the Bell Centre, but now he’ll face the team he followed as a kid after being drafted by Boston in his hometown.
“It’s going to be special. It’s the team I grew up watching, and to have the chance to play against them tonight, it’s going to be a pretty special moment,” Brunet said, per BostonBruins.com.
“I know it’s a big thing. The boys have been saying a little bit it’s going to look like Florida.
It’s a division game, one of our biggest rivals, so you’ve got to be ready, so it’s a big game for us…I’m with the Bruins now, so the only thing I want to do is beat them.”
Brunet has put together a solid start this season, with one goal and five points in 12 games while averaging 16:20 of ice time. His play has picked up since he was benched for a couple of games at the end of last month by second-year head coach Marco Sturm.
Boston is also keeping things steady in goal. After three days off since Sunday’s 4-1 win over the Florida Panthers at home, Sturm is sticking with Jeremy Swayman. That decision makes sense after Swayman turned aside 40 shots against Florida, including key stops in the second and third periods when the outcome was still very much in doubt.
The Bruins’ lines and defense pairs will stay unchanged as well. For now, the formula remains simple: if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.
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