Bruins vs Devils 2/18/21: Finally back home, lineups, and more

The Boston Bruins are finally back home after nearly three weeks on the road as they go up against the New Jersey Devils for the third time this season. The B’s would’ve been back home much sooner, but games were postponed due to COVID-19 breakouts.

The Black and Gold haven’t played the Devils since the second game of the season, where they lost in overtime by a score of 2-1. Since then, Boston has gone 9-2-1.

The Devils, on the other hand, just played their first game in nearly three weeks just two days ago because they were a team with a COVID-19 outbreak. For a team that hadn’t played in nearly three weeks, New Jersey played quite well as they downed the New York Rangers 5-2.

This will be an interesting game as the B’s will be the first big test the Devils will face since returning to play. Additionally, Boston has struggled to score against the Devils so far this season, we’ll see if this continues.

Boston Bruins vs New Jersey Devils projected lineups.

Boston Bruins
Record: 10-2-2 (22 points)

Since the last time these two teams met, the B’s lineup has changed significantly. Boston now has star winger David Pastrnak back from injury, but has lost right wing Ondrej Kase, and defensemen Matt Grzelcyk and Jakub Zboril to injuries.

With these injuries, the Black and Gold are going with a much different lineup than they had the last few weeks.

Expect the Bruins to look like this tonight:

Marchand – Bergeron – DeBrusk
Ritchie – Krejci – Pastrnak
Frederic – Coyle – Smith
Bjork – Kuraly – Wagner

Lauzon – McAvoy
Clifton – Carlo
Moore – Miller

Halak (Rask)

Jaroslav Halak is slated to be in net tonight. Tuukka Rask is being saved for the outdoor game at Lake Tahoe in three days.

New Jersey Devils
Record: 5-3-2 (12 points)

The Devils will be going with a similar lineup as they did the first two games against the B’s. However, this time, they’ll be without some key players as they are still out due to COVID-19 protocols.

Expect the Devils to look like this tonight:

Johnsson – Hughes – Bratt
Sherangovich – Maltsev – Palmieri
Kuokkanen – Zacha – Merkley
Wood – McLeod – Bastian

Severson – Subban
Smith – Tennyson
Kulikov – Vatanen

Blackwood (Wedgewood)

Where and when to watch Boston Bruins vs New Jersey Devils.

Time: 7 PM EST

Location: TD Garden

TV Broadcast: NESN, MSG+ 2, ESPN+, SN360, SNE, SNW, SNP

Radio Broadcast: 98.5 The Sports Hub

As I said earlier, this game will be interesting to watch considering the last two matchups between these two clubs. The Bruins will have to get on Mackenzie Blackwood early as he’s dominated the B’s so far this season.