Bruce Cassidy hinted at making some lineup changes after the Boston Bruins fell to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night.
And lineup changes he made.
The Bruins “broke down” in front of Jeremy Swayman on Tuesday and really just couldn’t get it together throughout the full 60 minutes. So Cassidy is making some changes on the forward lines and defense for Thursday’s game against the New Jersey Devils.
Both Nick Foligno and Craig Smith will miss the matchup. Cassidy told reporters via team-provided audio that Foligno is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, while Smith is feeling under the weather. Anton Blidh and Marc McLaughlin will slot in to replace the forwards, respectively.
The Bruins signed McLaughlin out of Boston College on March 15. The Billerica, Mass., native played for the United States men’s hockey team during the 2022 Beijing Olympics. During McLaughlin’s four seasons at BC, he scored 40 goals and amassed 36 assists.
Blidh has been the odd man out of the lineup and hasn’t played since March 16.
As for defense, Connor Clifton and Derek Forbort will sit out, while Mike Reilly and Josh Brown — who will make his Bruins debut — will make up the third pairing.
Bruins-Devils is set for 7 p.m. ET. The B’s will honor Tuukka Rask with a ceremonial puck drop, and you can catch the now-retired goalie’s press conference at 5:30 p.m. on NESN.
