The Boston Bruins continue their road trip Monday night for their only regular-season matchup against the Calgary Flames at the Saddledome.
Boston has a three-game losing streak, and it’s possible that lineup changes could be made, specifically on the blue line. That said, any changes wouldn’t be revealed until at least the pregame warmup, according to Bruins coach Claude Julien.
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One change that could be made is making a veteran defenseman a healthy scratch and inserting Matt Bartkowski into the lineup. Bartkowski has struggled when he has played — his last appearance was Dec. 31 against the Toronto Maple Leafs — but he would add much-needed mobility and puck-moving skill to the blue line. The Bruins have controlled more than 50 percent of even-strength shot attempts when Bartkowski has been on the ice this season.
Tuukka Rask is expected to start in net for the Bruins. He’s 1-4-0 in February, but goaltending wasn’t the main problem in those losses. Rask has a 2.20 goals against average and a .923 save percentage in that span.
The Flames are expected to start Karri Ramo in net. He’s 9-5-1 with a 2.56 GAA and a .908 save percentage. Bruins fans also will get their first look at Flames defenseman Mark Giordano this season. He’s the top candidate for the Norris Trophy.
Here are the projected lineups for both teams.
BOSTON BRUINS (28-20-7, fourth in Atlantic)
Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Reilly Smith
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Loui Eriksson
Chris Kelly-Carl Soderberg-David Pastrnak
Daniel Paille-Gregory Campbell-Craig Cunningham
Zdeno Chara-Kevan Miller
Dennis Seidenberg-Dougie Hamilton
Torey Krug-Adam McQuaid
Tuukka Rask
CALGARY FLAMES (31-22-3, fourth in Pacific)
Johnny Gaudreau-Sean Monahan-Jiri Hudler
Lance Bouma-Mikael Backlund-David Jones
Mason Raymond-Josh Jooris-Curtis Glencross
Paul Byron-Matt Stajan-Joe Colborne
Mark Giordano-TJ Brodie
Kris Russell-Dennis Wideman
Raphael Diaz-Deryk Engelland
Karri Ramo
Thumbnail photo via Candice Ward/USA TODAY Sports Images
