BOSTON — The Bruins and Los Angeles Kings will square off Saturday night for their last meeting of the regular season and the only one played at TD Garden.
The Bruins are expected to use the same lines and pairings from Thursday’s 5-2 win over the New York Islanders, with the exception of right wing on the fourth line.
Jordan Caron skated with Gregory Campbell and Daniel Paille at the right wing spot on the fourth line in place of Craig Cunningham. Caron has played in six games this season, with his last appearance coming on Jan. 20 against the Dallas Stars.
When asked about Caron’s status for Saturday, Bruins head coach Claude Julien said, “We’re going to make some decisions tonight, but no, he hasn’t been confirmed yet.”
Julien also said that goaltender Tuukka Rask will start in net for the Bruins. Rask has started 10 of Boston’s 11 games in January with just one regulation loss and a .947 save percentage. He’s made seven straight starts.
The Kings last played Wednesday night at Staples Center in a 4-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Los Angeles defeated the Boston 2-0 when the teams met on Dec. 2, but both teams’ rosters are a bit healthier now.
“They play a very similar game to ours,” Kings head coach Darryl Sutter said. “I think everybody’s held accountable and has a really good two-way game. I think there’s some difference in their personnel from the last time we played them, as with ours. I think there quite a few guys who were out with injuries from both teams last time.”
Here are the projected lineups for both teams:
BOSTON BRUINS (26-16-6, fourth in Atlantic)
Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Reilly Smith
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Loui Eriksson
Chris Kelly-Carl Soderberg-David Pastrnak
Daniel Paille-Gregory Campbell-Jordan Caron
Zdeno Chara-Dougie Hamilton
Dennis Seidenberg-Adam McQuaid
Torey Krug-Kevan Miller
Tuukka Rask
LOS ANGELES KINGS (21-15-12, fifth in Pacific)
Marian Gaborik-Anze Kopitar-Dustin Brown
Dwight King-Jeff Carter-Tyler Toffoli
Kyle Clifford-Jarret Stoll-Justin Williams
Trevor Lewis-Nick Shore-Jordan Nolan
Jake Muzzin-Drew Doughty
Robyn Regehr-Alec Martinez
Brayden McNabb-Matt Greene
Jonathan Quick
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
