The Boston Bruins are in desperate need of a rebound win when they face the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night. The final game before the holiday break already has some added pressure after David Pastrnak's comments leading up to it, and a matchup against one of your biggest rivals already needs no extra motivation.
The matchup will see a new-look Bruins lineup, as Victor Soderstrom appears to be out in favor of Vladislav Kolyachonok. He will likely play alongside Mason Lohrei, who will move to his offside, as Marco Sturm attempts to find some more cohesion in his defensive unit.
The waiver claim of Kolyachonok comes after a wrath of injuries for the Bruins. Jonathan Aspirot took part in the morning skate on Tuesday. Still, Sturm said in his media availability that he won't return until after the break, according to Scott McLaughlin via X. In an unexpected twist, the Bruins haven't looked quite as stout since Aspirot's injury, which no one would've predicted in the preseason.
Aspirot is a favorite of Sturm, and once he gets healthy, he'll likely regain a place in the lineup. This means that Tuesday night could be Kolyachonok's only chance to nail down a firm roster spot. If he can be a solid two-way threat like he was in Dallas, it's hard to rule that possibility out.
Bruins' final matchup before the holiday break is an important one for 2 players
Ironically, Kolyachonok's opportunity will come alongside Lohrei. If he is going to claim a spot in the lineup, the likely victim will be his defense partner on Tuesday night. Lohrei brings more offensive upside than the new defenseman, but his defensive abilities haven't been getting any better.
Getting out battled by Brady Tkachuk? Happens to the best of them. Standing around and watching with a loose puck in the crease as your own forward is trying to take their forward out of the play and it leads to a goal? Just head shaking stuff from No. 6 there. pic.twitter.com/IFEduSg77l
— Brian DeFelice (@briandefelice_) December 22, 2025
The most surprising part is that Victor Soderstrom is out of the lineup instead of Lohrei. It'd have made more sense to put Soderstrom on his strong side alongisde Kolyachonok, but there is a chance that Boston doesn't want to derail Lohrei's trade value any further. After seeing some of his plays the last few games, there's an argument that playing him is going to derail his value more than sitting in the press box as a healthy scratch.
Lohrei is going to need a big game if he doesn't want to get pushed down the depth chart by Kolyachonok. If the waiver claim looks any better defensively, there's a good chance that will happen. The only worry for him is that playing alongside Lohrei might make him look equally inept.