Dougie Hamilton will take center stage Friday at the Scotiabank Saddledome as the former Boston Bruins defenseman faces his old team for the first time.
An stunning offseason trade sent Hamilton, the ninth overall pick in the 2010 NHL Draft, from Boston to Calgary, where he has struggled thus far for a Flames team that has as well. The 22-year-old blueliner has just three goals and three assists through 25 games, and the 9-14-2 Flames entered Friday with second-worst record in the Western Conference.
The Bruins, meanwhile, are looking to rebound after a shootout loss Wednesday to the Edmonton Oilers snapped their five-game winning streak. Boston did not hold a mandatory morning skate Friday, leaving some uncertainty as to which lineup head coach Claude Julien will trot out.
Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask is expected to get the night off, per CSNNE.com’s Joe Haggerty, with backup Jonas Gustavsson starting in his place.
Here are Friday’s projected lines and pairings, as reported by the teams:
BOSTON BRUINS (13-8-2)
Brad Marchand — Patrice Bergeron — Brett Connolly
Matt Beleskey — David Krejci — Loui Eriksson
Frank Vatrano — Ryan Spooner — Jimmy Hayes
Landon Ferraro — Joonas Kemppainen — Tyler Randell
Zdeno Chara — Zach Trotman
Dennis Seidenberg — Colin Miller
Torey Krug — Adam McQuaid
Jonas Gustavsson
CALGARY FLAMES (9-14-2)
Johnny Gaudreau — Sean Monahan — David Jones
Sam Bennett — Markus Granlund — Jiri Hudler
Brandon Bollig — Mikael Backlund — Michael Frolik
Joe Colborne — Matt Stajan — Micheal Ferland
Mark Giordano — T.J. Brodie
Dennis Wideman — Dougie Hamilton
Ladislav Smid — Deryk Engelland
Karri Ramo
Thumbnail photo via Sergei Belski/USA TODAY Sports Images
