The Bruins hope to keep their focus straight ahead as they take on the lowly Coyotes on Friday.
Boston is coming off a shutout victory over the reigning Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche. The Black and Gold have won four of their last five games, which is the opposite direction Arizona has gone.
The Coyotes have lost 10 of their last 11 games, including six straight losses heading into Friday. The Bruins are tied with the New Jersey Devils for first in the Eastern Conference, and Arizona is 14th in the Western Conference.
But the Bruins would be wise not to take the Coyotes lightly. Jim Montgomery confirmed in his pregame news conference the B’s will run with the same lineup from Wednesday. The only change will be between the pipes with Jeremy Swayman getting the start.
While the Bruins’ first line ranks among the best in the NHL, it’s the third line that has captured headlines. Taylor Hall, Charlie Coyle and Trent Frederic have been consistent contributors every night for Boston, with Hall scoring two goals and tallying one assist against the Avalanche on Wednesday. Coyle notched two assists and Frederic had one.
Friday’s puck drop from Mullett Arena is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET, and you can catch all the action on NESN, beginning with an hour of pregame coverage at 9 p.m.
Here are the projected lines and defensive pairings for both the Bruins and Coyotes.
BOSTON BRUINS (21-3-1)
Brad Marchand — Patrice Bergeron — Jake DeBrusk
Pavel Zacha — David Krejci — David Pastrnak
Taylor Hall — Charlie Coyle — Trent Frederic
Nick Foligno — Tomas Nosek — Craig Smith
Hampus Lindholm — Charlie McAvoy
Matt Grzelcyk — Brandon Carlo
Derek Forbort — Connor Clifton
Jeremy Swayman
ARIZONA COYOTES (7-13-4)
Clayton Keller — Travis Boyd — Nick Schmaltz
Matias Maccelli — Nick Bjugstad — Lawson Crouse
Liam O’Brien — Jack McBain — Christian Fischer
Nick Ritchie — Barrett Hayton — Zack Kassian
Jakob Chychrun — Shayne Gostisbehere
J.J. Moser — Josh Brown
Patrik Nemeth — Troy Stecher
Karel Vejmelka
