BOSTON — The Bruins held an optional skate Thursday morning at the Garden in preparation for their clash with Minnesota, though most of the players participated.
Both Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask were on the ice, with Rask the first to head off. That’s usually the sign for who will start that night, though Thomas was actually the first to stop practicing and begin stretching, so this morning’s routine wasn’t as clear an indication.
Coach Claude Julien, as usual, did not comment on his plans in goal during his chat with reporters after the skate. Giving the start to Rask would make sense, as he could build off Monday’s impressive performance in Toronto while keeping Thomas fresh for Saturday’s key showdown with the Canadiens in Montreal.
There aren’t any other lineup changes expected, with Daniel Paille the likely scratch again. The Bruins will also go with the same line combinations, which include Tyler Seguin seeing time at center on a line with Patrice Bergeron and Mark Recchi. Bergeron shifts to wing in that scenario, though both players will likely take draws.
“You have to be mentally sharp,” Bergeron said of the shift. “It’s different. When you’re on the wing you have to stay on that side a little more, whereas when you’re playing center you kind of support everyone so you can kind of play everywhere.”
The Wild will remain without forward Antti Miettinen, who skated Thursday morning for the first time but is still not ready to return from a leg injury. Minnesota will have defenseman Marco Scandella back, as he returns after missing two games with an illness.
Jared Spurgeon will come out on the blue line to make room for Scandella. The Wild are also without defenseman Marek Zidlicky (shoulder), forward Guillaume Latendresse (lower body), forward James Sheppard (knee) and goalie Josh Harding (knee).
Jose Theodore, a former Hart and Vezina winner with Montreal, will get the start in goal for Minnesota. Theodore is 6-5-2 with a 2.76 GAA and a .911 save percentage this season, and has plenty of experience against the Bruins. He’s just 13-12-3 against Boston, but does have a 2.42 GAA and a .921 save percentage in those games.
Projected Bruins lines
Forwards
Milan Lucic-Marc Savard-Nathan Horton
Mark Recchi-Tyler Seguin-Patrice Bergeron
Blake Wheeler-David Krejci-Michael Ryder
Brad Marchand-Greg Campbell-Shawn Thornton
Defense
Zdeno Chara-Johnny Boychuk
Dennis Seidenberg-Steven Kampfer
Andrew Ference-Adam McQuaid
Goalies
Tuukka Rask
Tim Thomas
Scratches: Daniel Paille, Mark Stuart (broken hand)
Projected Wild lines
Forwards
Andrew Brunette-Mikko Koivu-Chuck Kobasew
Pierre-Marc Bouchard-Kyle Brodziak-Martin Havlat
Patrick O’Sullivan-Matt Cullen-Cal Clutterbuck
Eric Nystrom-John Madden-Brad Staubitz
Defense
Nick Schultz-Brett Burns
Clayton Stoner-Greg Zanon
Cam Barker-Marco Scandella
Goalies
Jose Theodore
Niklas Backstrom
Scratches: Jared Spurgeon, Antti Miettinen (leg)
