BOSTON — The Bruins defeated one of the NHL’s top teams Thursday when they knocked off the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks. They’ll try to take down another Saturday night at TD Garden.
The Washington Capitals enter their third and final meeting with Boston this season in possession of the league’s best record. They’ve also dominated the Bruins in recent years, winning each of the teams’ last five matchups dating to March 29, 2014.
“I think the biggest thing is your approach to the game,” Bruins coach Claude Julien told reporters Saturday morning. “Are the guys ready to play hard like they did the other night (against the Blackhawks)? It’s more about that than anything else.”
The Bruins, who have won four of their last five, sit just two points out out of first place in the Atlantic Division. The Capitals are the only Eastern Conference team they have yet to beat this season.
Tuukka Rask is expected to start in net for Boston, while Washington will turn to backup Philipp Grubauer after usual starter Braden Holtby took the L in Friday night’s 3-2 loss to the New York Rangers. The Capitals have not lost consecutive games in regulation all season.
Here are Saturday’s projected lines and pairings:
BOSTON BRUINS (36-23-6)
Brad Marchand — Patrice Bergeron — Lee Stempniak
Loui Eriksson — David Krejci — David Pastrnak
Matt Beleskey — Ryan Spooner — Jimmy Hayes
Landon Ferraro — Noel Acciari — Brett Connolly
Zdeno Chara — Kevan Miller
Torey Krug — Dennis Seidenberg
John-Michael Liles — Adam McQuaid
Tuukka Rask
WASHINGTON CAPITALS (47-13-4)
Alex Ovechkin — Nicklas Backstrom — T.J. Oshie
Andre Burakovsky — Evgeny Kuznetsov — Justin Williams
Jason Chimera — Marcus Johansson — Tom Wilson
Daniel Winnik — Mike Richards — Jay Beagle
Karl Alzner — Matt Niskanen
Brooks Orpik — Dimitry Orlov
Nate Schmidt – Taylor Chorney
Philipp Grubauer
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
