It is Tuukka Time once again for the Boston Bruins, as they face the New York Islanders.
Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask will be in net Thursday night as Boston plays the first leg of a back-to-back against New York at TD Garden.
Rask tweaked his back March 7 against the New Jersey Devils, then, in his first game back March 25, reaggravated the injury in the first period and has not played since. But B's head coach Bruce Cassidy confirmed Thursday morning that Rask would be in.
There won't be any changes up front from Tuesday's win over the Buffalo Sabres, but the back end will have a few tweaks.
Kevan Miller woke up with an "issue" unrelated to his knee surgery, Cassidy said, so he is out. The plan already was for Jakub Zboril to draw in for Jarred Tinordi, and it sounds like Steven Kampfer will be in for Miller.
New Bruins defenseman Mike Reilly skated with Miller on Tuesday, so he likely will pair up with Kampfer or Connor Clifton, with the other going with Zboril.
Both the Islanders and longtime New Jersey Devils winger Kyle Palmieri have given the Bruins fits this season, and Palmieri was sent to the Isles ahead of the trade deadline. This is the first time Palmieri will face Boston as a member of New York.
Here are the projected lineups for Thursday's Bruins-Islanders game:
BOSTON BRUINS (22-12-6)
Brad Marchand--Patrice Bergeron--David Pastrnak
Taylor Hall--David Krejci--Craig Smith
Nick Ritchie--Charlie Coyle--Jake DeBrusk
Sean Kuraly--Curtis Lazar--Chris Wagner
Jeremy Lauzon--Charlie McAvoy
Mike Reilly--Steven Kampfer
Jakub Zboril--Connor Clifton
Tuukka Rask
NEW YORK ISLANDERS (27-11-4)
Travis Zajac--Mathew Barzal--Jordan Eberle
Anthony Beauvillier--Brock Nelson--Josh Bailey
Kyle Palmieri-Jean-Gabriel Pageau--Oliver Wahlstrom
Cal Clutterbuck--Casey Cizikas--Matt Martin
Adam Pelech--Ryan Pulock
Nick Leddy--Scott Mayfield
Noah Dobson--Andy Greene
Semyon Varlamov
