Berkshire Bank Faceoff: Projected Lines, Pairings For Bruins-Panthers

BOSTON — The Bruins will look to improve their stellar divisional record Saturday as they host the Florida Panthers at TD Garden.

Since a season-opening three-game losing streak that included two losses to Atlantic Division opponents, Boston is 7-1-0 in divisional matchups, including a 3-1 win over Florida in the teams’ first meeting of the season.

The battle for playoff spots in the Atlantic should be fierce over the coming months, as just four points separate the third-place Ottawa Senators from the sixth-place Tampa Bay Lightning. The Bruins, who enter the weekend in fourth place in the division, lead the fifth-place Panthers by just one point.

“It’s a huge game for both teams here,” Bruins winger Jimmy Hayes said before Saturday’s game. “People say it’s early, but we’re fighting for a playoff spot here, and they are, I believe it’s a point behind us. So, we’ve got to kind of get some separation and kind of climb the standings for ourselves.”

Defenseman Zach Trotman skated Saturday morning, meaning he likely will not play against the Panthers. Colin Miller is expected to make his return to the lineup after sitting out the last three games.

Here are Saturday’s projected lines and pairings:

BOSTON BRUINS (15-9-3)
Brad Marchand — Patrice Bergeron — Brett Connolly
Matt Beleskey — David Krejci — Loui Eriksson
Frank Vatrano — Ryan Spooner — Jimmy Hayes
Zac Rinaldo — Max Talbot — Landon Ferraro

Zdeno Chara — Adam McQuaid
Dennis Seidenberg — Colin Miller
Torey Krug — Kevan Miller

Tuukka Rask

FLORIDA PANTHERS (14-11-4)
Jonathan Huberdeau — Aleksander Barkov — Jaromir Jagr
Brandon Pirri — Vincent Trocheck — Reilly Smith
Jussi Jokinen — Derek MacKenzie — Logan Shaw
Quinton Howden — Dave Bolland — Connor Brickley

Brian Campbell — Willie Mitchell
Dylan Olsen — Aaron Ekblad
Erik Gudbranson — Dmitry Kulikov

Roberto Luongo

Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images