Berkshire Bank Hockey Night In New England: Projected Bruins-Islanders Game 1 Lines, Pairings

The Boston Bruins are rested and raring to go Saturday night against the New York Islanders.

The lines and pairings the B’s will field against the Islanders in Game 1 of their second-round Stanley Cup Playoffs series will be largely similar to the ones head coach Bruce Cassidy deployed in Boston’s last outing: the first-round series-clinching win over the Washington Capitals on Sunday in Game 5.

The biggest change for the Bruins will be Jeremy Lauzon’s return to action. He hasn’t played since May 15 due to an injury suffered in Game 1 of the Bruins-Capitals series. Cassidy confirmed Saturday after pregame skate Lauzon will play against the Islanders, presumably alongside Connor Clifton on the third defensive pairing.

Tuukka Rask will continue as the Bruins’ starting goaltender.

Islanders coach Barry Trotz told reporters they’ll be without Oliver Wahlstrom, who missed Game 6 of their first-round series with the Pittsburgh Penguins due to a leg injury he suffered in Game 5. Travis Zajac will continue to take his place on New York’s third line.

The Islanders also will continue with red-hot rookie goaltender Ilya Sorokin, who won all four of his starts against Pittsburgh after replacing the faltering Semyon Varlamov.

NESN+ will air a full hour of Bruins-Islanders pregame coverage, with “Bruins Face-Off Live: Second Round” starting at 7 p.m. ET. Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m., and NBC will air the game. Be sure to return to NESN and NESN+ for a full hour of postgame coverage. “Bruins Overtime Live: Second Round” will start after the final horn, and “Bruins Postgame Final: Second Round” will follow.

NHL Announces Date, Start Time For Islanders-Bruins Game 2

May 28, 2021

Here are the projected lines and pairings for Game 1:

BOSTON BRUINS (0-0)
Brad Marchand — Patrice Bergeron — David Pastrnak
Taylor Hall — David Krejci — Craig Smith
Nick Ritchie — Charlie Coyle — Jake DeBrusk
Sean Kuraly — Curtis Lazar — Chris Wagner

Matt Grzelcyk — Charlie McAvoy
Mike Reilly — Brandon Carlo
Jeremy Lauzon — Connor Clifton

Tuukka Rask

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (0-0)
Leon Komarov — Mathew Barzal — Jordan Eberle
Anthony Beauvillier — Brock Nelson — Josh Bailey
Kyle Palmieri — Jean-Gabriel Pageau — Travis Zajac
Matt Martin — Casey Cizikas — Cal Clutterbuck

Adam Pelech — Ryan Pulock
Nick Leddy — Scott Mayfield
Andy Greene — Noah Dobson

Ilya Sorokin