Bruins vs Capitals 3/3/21: Zdeno Chara returns to Boston, lineups, and more

The Boston Bruins return to play the Washington Capitals at their home of TD Garden for the first time since Feb. 21. This game marks the beginning of a seven-game home-stand for the Black and Gold.

This isn’t just a return to Boston for the B’s, this also marks the return of former captain Zdeno Chara to Boston as a part of a team other than the B’s for the first time in 15 years.

For the Black and Gold, the next two games will be against the Caps, and with Washington two points ahead but having played two more games than Boston, both teams will have a chance to do some damage in the standings as they fight for first place in the East.

Going into tonight, the B’s have played the Caps twice, splitting the two matchups as Boston has one once and lost once. So, tonight marks the third matchup between these two teams and the first at TD Garden this season. Additionally, this is the first time the B’s will be playing a full-strength Caps team this season.

Boston Bruins vs Washington Capitals projected lineups.

Boston Bruins
Record: 12-5-2 (26 points)

The B’s could be getting back a couple of key players from injury tonight. There’s a strong chance that center David Krejci and Defenseman Matt Grzelcyk will both play. Both will be game-time decisions as they both will take warmups and decide after that.

Additionally, waiver wire pick up, defenseman Jarred Tinordi, will be making his debut for the Black and Gold playing alongside Connor Clifton on the third defensive pairing. Rookie Urho Vaakanainen will be coming out if Grizz can go. Defensemen John Moore and Steve Kampfer will also be healthy scratches.

Defensemen Jeremy Lauzon (fractured left hand) and Kevan Miller (sore knee), and right wing Ondrej Kase (upper-body injury) remain out.

If both Krejci and Grzelcyk do play, expect the Bruins to look like this tonight:

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

Zboril – McAvoy
Grzelcyk – Carlo
Tinordi – Clifton

Rask (Halak)

So, as you can see, Krejci coming back creates some big changes to the bottom-nine. Jake DeBrusk comes back up to the second line, while Charlie Coyle and Craig Smith go back down to the third line.

Trent Frederic goes back up to the third line, while Studnicka drops down to the fourth line (thankfully staying at center). Wagner comes back into the lineup with Greg McKegg coming out. Anders Bjork remains a healthy scratch.

If Krejci and Grzelcyk don’t play tonight, expect the Bruins to look like this (this is a guess):

Marchand – Bergeron – Pastrnak
Ritchie – Coyle – Smith
Frederic – Studnicka – DeBrusk
Kuraly – McKegg – Wagner/Bjork

Zboril – McAvoy
Vaakanainen – Carlo
Tinordi – Clifton

Rask (Halak)

Washington Capitals
Record: 12-5-4 (28 points)

As I mentioned earlier, the Capitals will be fully healthy tonight. Center Evgeny Kuznetsov had missed the last two games with an upper-body injury but will be tonight.

Expect the Capitals to look like this tonight:

Ovechkin – Kuznetsov – Sheary
Vrana – Backstrom – Wilson
Panik – Eller – Oshie
Hagelin – Dowd – Hathaway

Dillon – Carlson
Orlov – Schultz
Chara – Jensen

Vanecek (Samsonov)

Where and when to watch Boston Bruins vs Washington Capitals.

Time: 7 PM EST

Location: TD Garden

TV Broadcast: NBCSN

Radio Broadcast: 98.5 The Sports Hub

This game will definitely be interesting with all of its potential story lines. The return of Zdeno Chara, the debut of Jarred Tinordi, the fight for first place in the East, and David Krejci and/or Matt Grzelcyk back from injury. Tonight should definitely be considered a must watch for Bruins’ fans.