Regardless of how it plays out, Thursday’s Boston Bruins versus Philadelphia Flyers game will be notable as it marks the second coming of Tuukka Rask.
Having rejoined the Bruins Tuesday, Rask will start in goal for the first time since June 9. Rask backed up Linus Ullmark in Wednesday’s win over the Montreal Canadiens and now has his chance to show how well his surgically repaired hip withstands the rigors of NHL competition. Head coach Bruce Cassidy expects Rask’s “elite” presence to lift his teammates, who have won six of their seven games since the restart.
Cassidy also told reporters Thursday he’ll keep the Bruins’ forward lines intact for the second consecutive game.
The one lineup change is on the third defensive pair, as John Moore will miss the game due to an upper-body injury. Tyler Lewington will make his Bruins debut as Moore’s replacement.
ESPN will air Bruins-Flyers. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
Here are the teams’ projected lines and defensive pairings:
BOSTON BRUINS (20-11-2)
Brad Marchand–Patrice Bergeron–Craig Smith
Taylor Hall–Erik Haula–David Pastrnak
Jake DeBrusk–Charlie Coyle–Oskar Steen
Anton Blidh–Tomas Nosek–Curtis Lazar
Matt Grzelcyk–Charlie McAvoy
Mike Reilly–Brandon Carlo
Urho Vaakanainen–Tyler Lewington
Tuukka Rask
PHILADELPHIA FLYERS (13-15-7)
Joel Farabee–Claude Giroux–Cam Atkinson
James van Riemsdyk–Kevin Hayes–Travis Konecny
Jackson Cates–Scott Laughton–Oskar Lindblom
Maxwell Willman–Morgan Frost–Zack MacEwen
Ivan Provorov–Travis Sanheim
Cam York–Justin Braun
Keith Yandle–Nick Seeler
Carter Hart
These projected lines and defensive pairings are presented by Berkshire Bank, the official bank of NESN’s Boston Bruins coverage.
