BOSTON — It might just finally be Tuukka Time again.
Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask took over as the club's No. 1 netminder last season and led the NHL in both goals-against average and save percentage. But this year he's been relegated to backup duty by Tim Thomas' spectacular start.
But Rask might finally get another shot between the pipes on Thursday against the New York Islanders, as he was the first goalie off the ice at the morning skate at the Garden. That's typically the indication of who will start that night.
For Rask, it would be his first start since a 4-1 loss at Atlanta on Nov. 28, but he insisted that he is not concerned at all about the long layoff between starts.
"When you're not playing, obviously you're not making the mistakes that you learn from," said Rask. "So you've just keep focusing on the practices and be ready when the time comes."
Rask is just 1-6-1 this year, though he does have a 2.59 GAA and a .926 save percentage. When asked what he expects out of himself, Rask replied, "Just a solid 60-minute effort, work hard and hopefully win."
The other big change for the Bruins will be the debut of rookie Steven Kampfer on the blue line. He was recalled from Providence on Wednesday after it was learned that Mark Stuart will miss 4-6 weeks with a broken bone in his right hand and a dislocated ring finger.
The Bruins are likely to ease Kampfer into action and rotate their six defensemen throughout the game rather than sticking with set pairs. They have already done that for much of the season, even with a healthy lineup, so it shouldn't be too much of an adjustment.
Up front, Daniel Paille is expected to be the scratch again, with the line combinations remaining intact from the last three games since Marc Savard returned.
Marco Sturm, who continues to rehab from offseason surgery, has begun taking contact in practice this week, did not participate in the morning skate. The Bruins announced that it was a scheduled day off for Sturm.
For the Islanders, former Boston University star Rick DiPietro will get the start in goal. DiPietro is in the fifth year of a mammoth 15-year deal signed in 2006 and already has played 11 games this season after injuries limited him to 13 games in the previous two seasons combined. But he's just 3-4-4, and his 3.76 GAA and .874 save percentage both rank him 41st out of 42 qualified leaders in the league.
The Islanders held an optional skate Thursday morning, which leaves their lineup somewhat uncertain, but rookie Jesse Joensuu has been moved up to the top line with 2009 No. 1 overall pick John Tavares and Matt Moulson. Defenseman Bruno Gervais (broken cheekbone) will be a game-time decision.
Projected Bruins lines
Forwards
Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Nathan Horton
Mark Recchi-Patrice Bergeron-Blake Wheeler
Tyler Seguin-Marc Savard-Michael Ryder
Brad Marchand-Gregory Campbell-Shawn Thornton
Defense
Zdeno Chara-Andrew Ference
Dennis Seidenberg-Johnny Boychuk
Steven Kampfer-Adam McQuaid
Goalies
Tuukka Rask
Tim Thomas
Scratches: Daniel Paille, Mark Stuart (hand)
Projected Islanders lines
Forwards
Matt Moulson-John Tavares-Jesse Joensuu
Blake Comeau-Frans Nielsen-Michael Grabner
Jon Sim-Rob Schremp-P.A. Parenteau
Trevor Gillies-Zenon Konopka-Matt Martin
Defense
Andrew MacDonald-Travis Hamonic
Mark Eaton-Radek Martinek
Jack Hillen-James Wisniewski
Goalies
Rick DiPietro
Dwayne Roloson
Scratches: Doug Weight (back), Bruno Gervais (broken cheekbone), Dylan Reese
