Three Things For Bruins Fans To Watch In Preseason Game Vs. Capitals

The Bruins are back to work Tuesday night for preseason game No. 2 when they welcome the Washington Capitals to TD Garden.

Bruins fans can catch all the action starting at 6 p.m. ET on NESN+ with a full hour of pregame coverage leading into the showdown with the Caps.

HOW TO WATCH
6 p.m.: “Back to Work” preseason: Capitals at Bruins preview
7 p.m.: Capitals at Bruins (NESN+)
9:30 p.m.: “Bruins Overtime Live” (NESN+)

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BRUINS GAME ROSTER vs. WASHINGTON

THREE THINGS TO WATCH

1. Joonas Korpisalo makes his debut
B’s fans will get their first look at veteran goalie Joonas Korpisalo. When Boston first traded for the netminder, in the deal that sent Linus Ullmark to Ottawa, some of us (oops) wondered if the B’s would turn around and flip Korpisalo with Brandon Bussi moving into the backup role. So much for that idea. Whether it was the idea all along is whatever, but the Bruins look smart for holding onto Korpisalo, who now has a much bigger role — at least until Jeremy Swayman’s contract is resolved. There’s no real encouraging way to paint Korpisalo’s performance in Ottawa last season where he posted an .890 save percentage. However, the Bruins hope he can channel the run he had in Columbus where he was much better over eight seasons with the Blue Jackets. Boston certainly is well-positioned to get him back to that form with a goaltending infrastructure led by Bob Essensa and Mike Dunham. All he needs to show Tuesday night is a competency that can be built on.

2. Matthew Poitras is back
Poitras is back in the mix after a shoulder injury ended an otherwise promising rookie season. He defied the odds out of camp last season, making the opening night roster and hit the ground running with seven points in his first 11 games. He eventually came back to earth before the shoulder forced him to focus on 2024-25. Obviously, you’ll want to see whether he looks healthy in his return. Also, does he look and play stronger? And then there’s the question of where the 20-year-old will play. He should be a candidate for a vacant second-line role on the right. He’s a natural center, though, and the first sign of injury to any one of Boston’s pivots could move him back to the middle — which he did in the Providence scrimmage with Elias Lindholm down.

3. Tryouts continue
Speaking of that vacancy on the second-line’s right side, the Bruins are sending a host of youngsters out there again Tuesday night. In addition to Poitras, Fabian Lysell and Georgii Merkulov will get another shot to state their respective cases for an opening night roster spot. Lysell’s possession numbers from Sunday night’s loss to the Rangers look good, but he was a relative non-factor in the offensive end and committed a costly turnover. Merkulov found himself in a similar position, with his line giving up more even-strength scoring chances than it generated. We’ll also get our first look at North Billerica, Mass., native Marc McLaughlin, who could compete for a roster spot with the big club. He has NHL experience and has been a solid contributor in his time with Providence over the last two-plus seasons.

What are you looking forward to watching Tuesday night? Leave your comments below.