The Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs will renew hostilities after five months of waiting.
Plenty has changed since Nov. 6 when the teams last met, but what never fades is the rivalry Boston shares with Toronto as they pursue hockey’s ultimate goal: the Stanley Cup. The Bruins and Maple Leafs currently are tied for third place in the Atlantic Division standings on identical 41-19-5 records with 17 games remaining on their respective schedules. The B’s have won four consecutive games, the Leafs have won three of their last five, and both are trying to sustain their positive momentum. What happens Tuesday night at TD Garden will represent the opening of the next chapter in the eternal Boston-Toronto ice feud.
Patrice Bergeron didn’t skate participate in Tuesday’s morning skate, but head coach Bruce Cassidy told reporters he gave the Bruins captain a “maintenance morning” and expects him to play in his customary top-line center role, with Brad Marchand on the left and Jake DeBrusk on the right.
Hampus Lindholm will continue alongside Charlie McAvoy on the Bruins’ top defensive pairing., while Jeremy Swayman replaces Linus Ullmark as the Bruins’ starting goaltender.
Harvard product Nick Abruzzese will feature on Toronto’s fourth line in his NHL debut.
The Maple Leafs are in Boston for the first time since Oct. 22, 2019. Long time no see.
NESN will air Bruins versus Maple Leafs in full, with pregame coverage starting at 6:30 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-Maple Leafs:
BOSTON BRUINS (41-19-5)
Brad Marchand–Patrice Bergeron–Jake DeBrusk
Taylor Hall–Erik Haula–David Pastrnak
Trent Frederic–Charlie Coyle–Craig Smith
Nick Foligno–Tomas Nosek–Curtis Lazar
Hampus Lindholm–Charlie McAvoy
Matt Grzelcyk–Brandon Carlo
Derek Forbort–Connor Clifton
Jeremy Swayman
TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (41-19-5)
Michael Bunting–Auston Matthews–Mitch Marner
Ilya Mikheyev–John Tavares–Alexander Kerfoot
William Nylander–David Kampf–Pierre Engvall
Nick Abruzzese–Colin Blackwell–Jason Spezza
Morgan Rielly–Ilya Lyubushkin
T.J. Brodie–Justin Holl
Mark Giordano–Timothy Liljegren
Petr Mrazek
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