BOSTON — Jimmy Hayes will play his first home game at TD Garden on Thursday night, and it’ll come against his little brother, as Kevin Hayes’ New York Rangers come to town for the Bruins’ third game of the preseason.
Thursday won’t be first time the Dorchester, Mass., natives and Boston College products have played one another in an NHL game (that came last season, when Jimmy was playing with the Florida Panthers), but it’ll be their first time doing so in their hometown.
Each will skate on his respective team’s second line, with Jimmy lining up at left wing alongside Ryan Spooner and Brett Connolly on Boston’s, and Kevin centering New York’s between Brian Gibbons and Emerson Etem.
Thursday’s game also will mark the preseason debut for several Bruins players, including defenseman Zdeno Chara and Boston’s top line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and Loui Eriksson. Starting goalie Tuukka Rask, meanwhile, will sit out a third straight game, with Jeremy Smith and Zane McIntyre sharing goaltending duties for Boston.
Here are the Bruins’ full line combinations and defensive pairings, as reported by the team’s official website:
Brad Marchand — Patrice Bergeron — Loui Eriksson
Jimmy Hayes — Ryan Spooner — Brett Connolly
Frank Vatrano — Austin Czarnik — Max Talbot
Zac Rinaldo — Joonas Kemppainen — Tyler Randell
Zdeno Chara — Brandon Carlo
Matt Irwin — Colin Miller
Joe Morrow — Adam McQuaid
Jeremy Smith
Zane McIntyre
UPDATE (7:03 p.m. ET): Kevin Hayes instead will start on New York’s first line with Gibbons and Ryan Bourque
Thumbnail photo via Mark L. Baer/USA TODAY Sports Images
