The Boston Bruins’ bye week is over. After a six-day break, the B’s return to the ice Sunday night against the San Jose Sharks for their first road game under interim head coach Bruce Cassidy.
Boston is 3-0-0 under Cassidy, with the most recent win being a 4-0 rout of the rival Montreal Canadiens last Sunday at TD Garden.
Even though the Bruins beat the Sharks 6-3 on Feb. 9, Sunday’s matchup should be a tough one.
San Jose leads the Pacific Division and owns the second-best record in the Western Conference (including an 18-7-3 mark at home). Sharks defenseman Brent Burns ranks third in the NHL in scoring with 63 points, putting him atop the Norris Trophy rankings.
The Bruins will need a good defensive performance to shut down the high-powered Sharks and begin an important four-game road trip on the right foot.
Here are the projected lineups for both teams.
BOSTON BRUINS (29-23-6)
Brad Marchand–Patrice Bergeron–David Backes
Peter Cehlarik–David Krejci–David Pastrnak
Frank Vatrano–Ryan Spooner–Jimmy Hayes
Tim Schaller–Dominic Moore–Riley Nash
Zdeno Chara–Brandon Carlo
Kevan Miller–Colin Miller
Torey Krug–Adam McQuaid
Tuukka Rask
SAN JOSE SHARKS (35-18-6)
Kevin Labanc–Joe Thornton-Joe Pavelski
Patrick Marleau–Logan Couture–Mikkel Boedker
Nikolay Goldobin–Tomas Hertl–Joel Ward
Melker Karlsson–Chris Tierney–Micheal Haley
Paul Martin–Brent Burns
Marc-Edouard Vlasic–Justin Braun
Brenden Dillon–David Schlemko
Martin Jones
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
