BOSTON — Bruins coach Claude Julien doesn't know exactly why Tim Thomas has been so successful against Ottawa in his career. Julien's just glad he is.
Thomas has a 17-7-2 record with a 2.01 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage in 26 games against the Senators. The 17 wins are the most he has against any team, as are his five shutouts against Ottawa. That represents a full quarter of his 20 career shutouts in the NHL.
Thomas got his most recent shutout at the Senators' expense in a 4-0 win in Ottawa back on Oct. 30, and it appears he'll have a chance to pad his totals against the Sens on Saturday. Thomas was the first goalie off the ice at the morning skate, traditionally the indication of who will start that night.
After the morning skate, Julien was asked what made Thomas so effective against the Senators.
"I don't have that answer, to be honest," said Julien. "He's played well against them. Why? I don't know, but I like the fact that he is. So I would leave it at that."
Thomas is expected to return to the lineup after Tuukka Rask started Thursday against Montreal. There aren't any other lineup changes expected, as the Bruins remain without any healthy scratches at the moment.
That could change soon though, as defenseman Johnny Boychuk (fractured forearm) participated in the morning skate for the first time since being injured three weeks ago, while center David Krejci (concussion) skated on his own before the morning workout. Boychuk is still about a week away from returning to game action, while no timetable has been set for Krejci.
The Senators will be getting an injured defenseman back on Saturday, as Filip Kuba will make his season debut after suffering a broken leg in the preseason. With his return, David Hale will be a healthy scratch, while Brian Lee will also remain out.
Senators coach Cory Clouston confirmed Kuba's return Saturday morning, announcing that he would be paired with Erik Karlsson.
Clouston also stated that Brian Elliott would get the call in net. Elliott is 8-4-0 with a 2.81 GAA and a .911 save percentage in 12 games this year, but is just 2-3-3 against Boston. He took the loss on Oct. 30, allowing four goals on 25 shots.
Projected Bruins lines:
Forwards
Milan Lucic-Patrice Bergeron-Nathan Horton
Jordan Caron-Blake Wheeler-Mark Recchi
Daniel Paille-Tyler Seguin-Michael Ryder
Brad Marchand-Gregory Campbell-Shawn Thornton
Defense
Zdeno Chara-Andrew Ference
Matt Hunwick-Dennis Seidenberg
Mark Stuart-Adam McQuaid
Goalies
Tim Thomas
Tuukka Rask
Scratches: David Krejci (concussion), Johnny Boychuk (forearm)
Projected Senators lines:
Forwards
Peter Regin-Jason Spezza-Alex Kovalev
Milan Michalek-Mike Fisher-Daniel Alfredsson
Jarkko Ruutu-Chris Kelly-Chris Neil
Nick Foligno-Jesse Winchester-Ryan Shannon
Defense
Chris Phillips-Sergei Gonchar
Filip Kuba-Erik Karlsson
Chris Campoli-Matt Carkner
Goalies
Brian Elliott
Pascal Leclaire
Scratches: David Hale, Brian Lee
