Tuesday night’s matchup between the Bruins and Anaheim Ducks was supposed to feature two of the league’s best teams. The game ended up being a competitive one, but there was one pretty big piece missing. That piece was Bruins forward Milan Lucic.
Boston’s first-line winger, who has been one of the club’s most consistent players this season, was scratched shortly before puck drop with an illness. It’s believed, according to Lucic and the Bruins, that the power forward was battling a bout of food poisoning.
That seems to have passed, at least enough for Lucic to return to the ice. He’s expected to be back in the lineup Thursday night when the Bruins take on the Los Angeles Kings. The veteran winger is third on the club in both points and goals, and his physical, big-bodied presence has been felt all season long. That’s a welcomed change from last season where Lucic struggled to find consistency, at least in the regular season.
The Bruins will need all the help they can get on Thursday night. The Kings are among the Western Conference’s toughest teams, and while they have struggled lately, they are one of the best in the league when it comes to playing at home.
Bruins (28-13-2, 58 points)
Milan Lucic — David Krejci — Jarome Iginla
Brad Marchand — Patrice Bergeron — Reilly Smith
Carl Soderberg — Ryan Spooner — Matt Fraser
Justin Florek — Gregory Campbell — Daniel Paille
Zdeno Chara — Dougie Hamilton
Torey Krug — Adam McQuaid
Matt Bartkowski — Johnny Boychuk
Kings (26-13-5, 57 points)
Dwight King — Anze Kopitar — Jeff Carter
Dustin Brown — Jarret Stoll — Justin Williams
Matt Frattin — Mike Richards — Tyler Toffoli
Kyle Clifford — Colin Fraser — Trevor Lewis
Jake Muzzin — Drew Doughty
Slava Voynov — Willie Mitchell
Robyn Regehr — Alec Martinez
