The Bruins are back at TD Garden on Sunday afternoon with another Atlantic Division matchup on deck, this time against the Florida Panthers.
Boston enters at 12-4-1 and is facing its second game against a divisional opponent this season. The Bruins’ only previous one came on Oct. 5 against the Ottawa Senators, a 4-1 loss. Florida, meanwhile, has already played three division games and is still looking for its first win in those contests at 0-3.
Bruins coach Marco Sturm said the division stretch is the kind of test his team wants right now.
“Absolutely,” said Bruins head coach Marco Sturm on getting into Division games on Saturday. “I mean, we always say every game is important, but this will be a good one and hopefully it's going to feel good after that for us.
We feel very comfortable where we are right now. We feel good about our game.
We feel good about being at home and just like the last home game playing some playoff hockey and I think that's how it has to be the next, for sure the next three games.”
Boston’s lineup features JJ Peterka, Pavel Zacha and David Pastrnak on the top line, with Mikey Eyssimont, Fraser Minten and Morgan Geekie next up. Casey Mittelstadt centers Elias Lindholm and Marat Khusnutdinov, while Tanner Jeannot, Sean Kuraly and Mark Kastelic make up the fourth line.
On the back end, the Bruins are rolling out Hampus Lindholm with Charlie McAvoy, Nikita Zadorov with William Borgen, and Frederic Brunet with Mason Lohrei. Jeremy Swayman is listed in goal, with Michael DiPietro backing him up.
Florida’s group includes Brady Tkachuk, Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk on the top line, followed by Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Reinhart and Lars Eller. Eetu Luostarinen, Cole Schwindt and Cole Reinhardt form the third line, while Bokondji Imama and Garnet Hathaway round out the forward group.
The Panthers’ defense pairs Gustav Forsling with Aaron Ekblad, Niko Mikkola with Seth Jones, and Dmitry Kulikov with Uvis Balinskis. Radko Gudas is also listed, with Jacob Markstrom starting and Akira Schmid as the backup.
This section will be updated with the latest injury news throughout the game. Make sure to refresh your browser for the latest information. Radio coverage is available on 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston and 560 WQAM in Florida.
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