Berkshire Bank Hockey Night In New England: Projected Bruins-Oilers Lines, Pairings

Rogers Place will host a battle of division leaders Wednesday night.

The Boston Bruins are set to kick off a three-game Canadian road trip with a meeting against the Edmonton Oilers.

And while this should be a battle between a couple of top teams, Edmonton presently is decimated by absences. Connor McDavid (quad), Oscar Klefbom (shoulder) Joakim Nygard (hand), Kris Russell (concussion) and James Neal (foot) all are out due to injuries, while Zack Kassian will miss the game as he continues serving a suspension.

But with the Bruins as healthy as ever, their lineup is looking, well, as it should. Karson Kuhlman continues skating on the second line right wing, while Anders Bjork and Danton Heinen will flank Charlie Coyle on the third line. Joakim Nordstrom, Sean Kuraly and Chris Wagner form the fourth line.

On the back end, Jeremy Lauzon stays in on the third defensive pairing over John Moore.

Tuukka Rask is expected to be in net for the Bruins, and likely will be opposed by Mike Smith.

Here are the projected lineups for both teams:

BOSTON BRUINS (37-11-12)
Brad Marchand–Patrice Bergeron–David Pastrnak
Jake DeBrusk–David Krejci–Karson Kuhlman
Anders Bjork–Charlie Coyle–Danton Heinen
Joakim Nordstrom–Sean Kuraly–Chris Wagner

Zdeno Chara–Charlie McAvoy
Torey Krug–Brandon Carlo
Matt Grzelcyk–Jeremy Lauzon

Tuukka Rask

EDMONTON OILERS (32-21-6)
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins–Leon Draisaitl–Kailer Yamamoto
Tyler Benson–Riley Sheahan–Josh Archibald
Sam Gagner–Gaetan Haas–Alex Chiasson
Jujhar Khaira–Colby Cave–Patrick Russell

Darnell Nurse–Ethan Bear
Caleb Jones–Adam Larsson
William Lagesson–Matt Benning

Mike Smith