After losing two games in a row, the Boston Bruins finally got back on track as they defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1. Tonight, the B’s look to continue their strong play from Tuesday as they take on the Buffalo Sabres for the seventh time this season.
Along with looking to continue their strong play, the Black and Gold will be looking to redeem themselves after a terrible effort in their last meeting with the Sabres that saw them fall 6-4.
Since then, the Sabres have lost two in a row, being defeated by the New York Rangers 6-3 and 3-1. So Buffalo will be looking to get back on track tonight and will probably be playing pretty hard.
As I said plenty of times before, the Sabres may be in last place, but they have nothing to lose and are playing for their jobs and shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Boston Bruins vs Buffalo Sabres projected lineups.
Boston Bruins
Record: 28-14-6 (62 points)
The B’s had an issue this morning at practice, right wing Craig Smith couldn’t participate due to a COVID-19 testing issue. If the issue isn’t taken care of, he will not be able to play tonight. If this is the case, Jake DeBrusk will be in his spot on the second line. If Smith can play, the lineup will be the same as Tuesday.
Additionally, defenseman Brandon Carlo participated in morning skate today. However, he will not be in the lineup tonight, but may be ready to play next week against the New Jersey Devils.
Tuukka Rask will be in net tonight. Jaroslav Halak will most likely be backing him up, as this has been the norm when Rask or Jeremy Swayman has not been starting.
Expect the Bruins to look like this tonight:
Marchand – Bergeron – Pastrnak
Hall – Krejci – Smith*
Frederic – Kuraly – Coyle
Ritchie – Lazar – Wagner
*If Smith is unable to play, DeBrusk will be in his spot.
Grzelcyk – McAvoy
Reilly – Miller
Lauzon – Clifton
Rask (Halak)
Buffalo Sabres
Record: 13-30-7 (33 points)
The Sabres will be going with their normal lineup, the one the B’s saw in their last meeting with them. This also includes in net, as rookie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will be in net with Dustin Tokarski backing up.
Expect the Sabres to look like this tonight:
Skinner – Reinhart – Olofsson
Asplund – Mittelstadt – Thompson
Bjork – Cozens – Ruotsalainen
Rieder – Sheahan – Caggiula
Samuelsson – Ristolainen
Dahlin – Jokiharju
Bryson – Borgen
Luukkonen (Tokarski)
Where and when to watch Boston Bruins vs Buffalo Sabres.
Time: 7 PM EST
Location: TD Garden
TV Broadcast: NESNplus, MSG-B, SN360
Radio Broadcast: 98.5 The Sports Hub
This game should be a win for the B’s. However, it may not be easy. The Sabres are still playing competitive hockey under Don Granato and should be taken seriously.