BOSTON — An injury to forward Zac Rinaldo will force Bruins coach Claude Julien to alter his lineup for Wednesday’s matchup with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Rinaldo, who was played in 26 of Boston’s 29 games as a fourth-line forward this season, was placed on injured reserve Tuesday with an upper body injury. Alex Khokhlachev was recalled from Providence to fill the hole on the roster, but Julien did not confirm whether or not Khokhlachev would play against the Penguins.
“I have 23 healthy guys right now,” Julien said following the Bruins’ optional skate Wednesday morning. “And in case circumstances change, I’ll dress 20 of them.”
Tuukka Rask is expected to start in goal for Boston, with Jeff Zatkoff getting the nod for Pittsburgh in place of injured starter Marc-Andre Fleury. Zatkoff has seen action in just five games this season, starting four.
A win Wednesday could vault the Bruins to as high as second in the Atlantic Division, while the Penguins are looking to right the ship after dropping six of their last eight games.
Here are the projected lines and pairings for both teams:
BOSTON BRUINSÂ (16-9-4)
Brad Marchand — Patrice Bergeron — Brett Connolly
Matt Beleskey — David Krejci — Loui Eriksson
Frank Vatrano — Ryan Spooner — Jimmy Hayes
Alex Khokhlachev — Max Talbot — Landon Ferraro
Zdeno Chara — Adam McQuaid
Dennis Seidenberg —Â Colin Miller
Torey Krug —Â Kevan Miller
Tuukka Rask
PITTSBURGH PENGUINSÂ (15-11-3)
Chris Kunitz — Sidney Crosby — David Perron
Sergei Plotnikov — Evgeni Malkin — Phil Kessel
Kevin Porter — Eric Fehr — Daniel Sprong
Conor Sheary — Matt Cullen — Patric Hornqvist
Olli Maata — Trevor Daley
Ian Cole — David Warsofsky
Ben Lovejoy — Brian Dumoulin
Jeff Zatkoff
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
