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

The Boston Bruins hope home comforts and a matchup with the lowly Seattle Kraken can help them bounce back into the win column.

Head coach Bruce Cassidy is expected to make a number of lineup changes in an effort to reinvigorate the Bruins, who ended their three-game road trip with a 6-1 loss to the Dallas Stars on Sunday night.

Right wing Craig Smith returns to the top line, ending a one-game stint on the third unit. In a corresponding move, right wing Oskar Steen drops from the first to the third line.

With Erik Haula in COVID-19 protocol, center Tomas Nosek moves up from the fourth line to replace him in the middle of the second. Steven Fogarty, who debuted with the Bruins on Sunday, will center the fourth line.

Matt Grzelcyk returns to the top defensive pairing, after dropping to the second against Dallas. Urho Vaakanainen moves to the third pairing, while Mike Reilly moves up to the second.

Linus Ullmark will start as Bruins goaltender in an effort to move on from Sunday’s struggles, which saw Jeremy Swayman replace him after he allowed Dallas’ fourth goal.

NESN will air Bruins versus Kraken in full, with pregame coverage starting at 6 p.m. ET. Puck drop from TD Garden is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.

Here are the projected lines and defensive pairings for Bruins-Kraken:

BOSTON BRUINS (25-13-3)
Brad Marchand–Patrice Bergeron–Craig Smith
Taylor Hall–Tomas Nosek–David Pastrnak
Jake DeBrusk–Charlie Coyle– Oskar Steen
Anton Blidh–Steven Fogarty–Curtis Lazar

Matt Grzelcyk–Charlie McAvoy
Mike Reilly–Brandon Carlo
Derek Forbort–Urho Vaakanainen

Linus Ullmark

SEATTLE KRAKEN (14-26-4)
Marcus Johansson–Jared McCann–Jordan Eberle
Ryan Donato–Alexander Wennberg–Joonas Donskoi
Mason Appleton–Yanni Gourde–Colin Blackwell
Karson Kuhlman–Riley Sheahan–Morgan Geekie

Mark Giordano–Adam Larsson
Vince Dunn–William Borgen
Haydn Fleury–Jeremy Lauzon

Philipp Grubauer

These projected lines and defensive pairings are presented by Berkshire Bank, the official bank of NESN’s Boston Bruins coverage.