On Monday night, the Boston Bruins will face the Edmonton Oilers in the first game of a back-to-back. In what is sure to be a tough matchup, the Bruins will face Connor McDavid and the high-scoring Oilers.
Before the game, Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk emphasized the importance of puck management and playing their game in order to slow down the Oilers. “You have to be on your best when you’re on the ice against them,” he said.
The following are the key lineup changes for the Bruins ahead of the game:
Taylor Hall is out with a lower-body injury, so Nick Foligno will play third line, and A.J. Greer will play fourth line.
Connor Clifton will return to the lineup after being a healthy scratch on Saturday, skating with Derek Forbort and leaving Matt Grzelcyk out.
Dmitry Orlov will be promoted to play with Charlie McAvoy in a new pairing that the Bruins are excited about.
Jeremy Swayman will make his debut in goal.
Klim Kostin of the Edmonton Oilers will return to the lineup after missing the team’s previous five games due to a non-COVID illness. To make room for Kostin, the Oilers assigned Devin Shore to the AHL Bakersfield.
The Oilers will be without Evander Kane due to injury, and Kostin’s status is unknown due to illness. The team’s most recent game ended in a 6-5 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Oilers are led by the dynamic duo of Connor McDavid, who leads the league with 113 points, and Leon Draisaitl, who is second with 88 points. To have a chance of winning, the Bruins must focus on shutting down these two players.
This is the Bruins’ first meeting with the Oilers this season; the two teams will meet again on March 9 at TD Garden.
The following is the projected lineup for Monday’s game for the Bruins:
FORWARDS:
- Brad Marchand – Patrice Bergeron – Jake DeBrusk
- Pavel Zacha – David Krejci – David Pastrnak
- Nick Foligno – Charlie Coyle – Trent Frederic
- A.J. Greer – Tomas Nosek – Garnet Hathaway
DEFENSEMEN:
- Dmitry Orlov – Charlie McAvoy
- Hampus Lindholm – Brandon Carlo
- Derek Forbort – Connor Clifton
