How Jim Montgomery Will Handle Bruins’ Blue Line Depth

The Bruins have more depth on the blue line after Andrew Peeke made his debut, but Jim Montgomery will keep his lineup decision simple.

Peeke was acquired by Boston before the NHL trade deadline from the Columbus Blue Jackets and made his debut Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre. The 25-year-old logged 17:01 minutes of ice time pairing with Parker Wotherspoon.

The veteran defenseman is expected to be in the lineup Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers at TD Garden, and with Matt Grzelcyk back in the lineup, Kevin Shattenkirk and Mason Lohrei will be healthy scratches.

“Everything is gonna be earned,” Montgomery told reporters, per the Bruins. “He played well last game, showed a lot of good stuff, so he’s earned the right to play the next game. We have eight defensemen right now and that’s the way it’s gonna be: you play well, you stay in the lineup.”

That mindset likely applies to the rest of the lineup with Johnny Beecher getting the nod over Jakub Lauko, who also will be a healthy scratch against the Flyers. The fourth line will likely see more changes once Pat Maroon, who also was acquired before the NHL trade deadline, makes his Boston debut.