Bruins Game 11: Notes, Lines, and How to Watch vs. Predators

The Boston Bruins (7-2-1) are back on home ice, opening a brief two-game homestand against the Nashville Predators (3-2-3) on Thursday night at TD Garden. Their five-game win streak ended on Tuesday in Dallas, but they have points in each of their last six games.

The Bruins still sit at the top of the Atlantic Division, with a one-point lead over the Lightning and Senators. They have scored 36 goals this season, led by Matt Poitras, Fraser Minten, and David Pastrnak with four each.

Sixteen of the Bruins’ goals came on their road trip, with Poitras, Minten, and plenty of the U24 crowd stepping up to provide the offense.

The Bruins are 3-1-0 on home ice this season, including wins in their last two home games, while the Predators are 1-0-2 on the road.

The Predators enter Boston after having a few days off. They flew in on Wednesday ahead of the game, and Boston is the first stop of a two-game road trip for Nashville.

The Predators are 2-1-2 in their last five, and they picked up a 5-2 win over Jim Montgomery and the St. Louis Blues their last time out.

Steven Stamkos leads the Predators with 10 points (4-6–10) through eight games, and he has 47 points (28-19–47) in 57 regular-season games against the Bruins. Two of his goals have come on the man advantage, and the Predators have a top-three power play so far this season.

Juuse Saros has started all but one game this season, and with the extended time off, he is expected to go tonight.

The Bruins will be celebrating Hockey Fights Cancer night during Thursday’s game.

The Bruins will skate at TD Garden at 10:30 AM. Updates from Marco Sturm will follow.

UPDATE: Sturm confirmed that there will be no lineup changes and that Michael DiPietro will make his third start of the season.

“I thought guys had really a good jump today,” Sturm said after practice. “We addressed it.

Last time, we didn’t have a long trip like that, but we came home and we played Ottawa, and we all know what happened. So whatever it takes, I think we just got to find a way.

It’s going to be between the ears, it’s going to be a mind game, and we just got to make sure we’re prepared and excited to be home again.”

Matt Poitras and James Hagens, the Bruins’ goal scorers in their 3-2 overtime loss to Dallas, found themselves stapled to the bench at the end of Tuesday’s game. Poitras did not play in the last 10:41, while Hagens sat for 9:02.

“Every coach does it and it’s tough with the young kids. You want to help them to grow in getting into those situations, and there are situations I’m going to put them out there,” Sturm said.

“If you [have] ever been in Dallas, it’s one of the toughest buildings. It is.

When they scored, there was a big change. And those are the moments, we were on our heels and sometimes I have to protect my players and my young kids.”

“It’s tough to put them out there, and there will be games that I put them out there. But that was 100% not the right time to do it.

Points are hard to get in this league, very hard, and [at the] end of the day, we always, making the playoffs or not, we always look at some of the points [that we could have gotten]. Could be shootout or could be closing games.

So I’m very happy that we got a point. We wish we had that game.

I feel like before they scored, I felt it. But then they scored.

That building changed, and that scared me.”

Also Read:Bruins Postgame: A Near-Perfect Road Trip, What Went Wrong Late

Morgan Geekie, who has 33 and 39 goals in the previous two seasons, only has one through 10 games this season. His only goal of the season came on October 8 during the Bruins’ 6-1 thumping of the Utah Mammoth.

“Maybe from the outside looking in, the goal totals are not where they should be. But, you know, at the end of the day, we are 7-2-1, and there’s not much more you can ask for than starting that well.

For me, there’s obviously a lot of room for improvement, but it’s a team game at the end of the day and I’m just going to try and do everything I can to try and find a way to put the puck in the back of the net.”

He added that he has not felt great about the chances he’s gotten this season and that he’s been on the distributing side of the puck lately.

Filip Forsberg – Ryan O’Reilly – Steven Stamkos

Alex Kerfoot – Mavrik Bourque – Jonathan Marchessault

Source: Max Herz (Predators Radio)

Juuse Saros (3-2-2, 2.82 GAA, .906 SV%)

Power play: 21.4% (15th)

Penalty kill: 80.0% (T-14th)

Power play: 29.6% (3rd)

Penalty kill: 85.2% (7th)

Thursday, Oct. 22: at Boston, 7:00 PM

Saturday, Mar. 20: at Nashville, 5:00 PM

Saturday, Oct. 24: vs. San Jose, 7:00 PM

Tuesday, Oct. 27: at Carolina, 8:00 PM

Thursday, Oct. 29: at St. Louis, 8:00 PM

Saturday, Oct. 31: vs. Chicago, 1:00 PM

Monday, Nov. 2: vs. Vegas, 7:00 PM

Radio: Country 102.5

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