Game 5: Matt Grzelcyk Out. Boston Bruins vs Flyers Lines, Preview

After a thrilling, come-from-behind, 5-4 shootout win in their home opener on Thursday, the Boston Bruins (2-1-1, 5 pts) will try to sweep their two-game set against the Philadelphia Flyers (3-1-1, 7 pts) tonight at TD Garden at 7 PM ET (NESN, NBCSP, NHLN). 

After dominating the first two periods but still trailing 2-0, the floodgates opened for the Bruins who got their first three even-strength goals of the season, and another powerplay tally from Nick Ritchie. Jake DeBrusk sealed the 5-4 win in the shootout as the Bruins had seemingly had enough of their early scoring blues.

Jaro Halak (0-0-1, 1.85 GAA, .935 save percentage), will get the nod between the pipes for the Boston Bruins tonight and Carter Hart (2-1-1, 3.67 GAA, .902 save percentage), will start again for the Flyers. Hart made 39 saves before the shootout on Thursday.  

Bruins Notes

– With their three regulation goals and a powerplay goal in regulation and overtime on Thursday, the Boston Bruins now have seven goals on the season with four coming via special teams, three powerplay goals, and one shorthanded.  

– The Bruins’ PK allowed their first two goals of the season Thursday as the Flyers went 2-for-5 on the man advantage. Thankfully the powerplay snapped a two-game scoreless streak and went 1-for-3. 

– That one powerplay tally came from Nick Ritchie who is starting to develop a game in the fashion of Tampa Bay Lightning winger and back-to-back Stanley Cup winner Pat Maroon. Ritchie now has two powerplay goals in four games. 

**UPDATE**

– On Friday, Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy had this to say about injured defenseman Matt Grzelcyk (lower-body): 

“’Gryz’ actually felt pretty good. He didn’t go on the ice obviously, so he’ll try it in the morning. I suspect he’ll play.”

Well, things changed overnight, and late Saturday morning, Cassidy confirmed that Grzelcyk would miss his first game of the season and is day-to-day. Connor Clifton will draw in and take Grzelcyk’s spot on the second pairing alongside Brandon Carlo.

Boston Bruins forward Ondrej Kase (upper-body) will not play against the Flyers and is out indefinitely. Bruins superstar winger and reigning co-Rocket Richard winner David Pastrnak (hip) remains on long-term injury reserve. Pastrnak skated again at practice Friday but still in a non-contact jersey. 

Flyers Notes

– The Flyers have scored a division-leading 19 goals thus far. Only the Montreal Canadiens have scored more than the Flyers with a league-leading 24 lamplighters. The Flyers have allowed 15 goals, including three even-strength goals to the Bruins after the B’s couldn’t light the lamp 5-on-5 through their first three games. 

-After holding opponents to a league-best 28 goals last season, the Flyers are now allowing a league-worst 39 shots per game through five games. 

– The Flyers went 2-for-5 on the powerplay Thursday and are now 6-for-20 on the powerplay this season. Philly killed off two of three Bruins powerplays Thursday and are now 17 of 22 on the penalty kill. 

-Travis Konecny lit the lamp for a second straight game on Thursday and now has a point in four of the Flyers five games played. He leads the team with five goals and heading into action Friday night, Konecny was tied for the league lead with Canadiens winger Tyler Toffoli and Vancouver Canucks forward Bo Horvat. Dorchester, MA native Kevin Hayes helped set up both James van Riemsdyk goals Thursday. After Flyers winger Jakub Voracek got three primary assists Thursday, he and Hayes are tied for the team lead with five helpers apiece. 

-The Flyers placed forward Morgan Frost (separated shoulder) on injured reserve Thursday and declared defenseman Philippe Myers ‘week-to-week’ with a fractured rib. Defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere was placed on the COVID Protocol list to start the season and hasn’t played a game yet. A day after the league took the Flyers puck-moving defenseman off the list and Gostisbehere began skating, Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault confirmed that Gostisbehere had tested positive for COVID. Gostisbehere is expected to make an early February return. 

Boston Bruins Lines

Forwards:

Brad Marchand – Patrice Bergeron – Jake DeBrusk

Nick Ritchie – David Krejci – Jack Studnicka

Trent Frederic – Charlie Coyle – Craig Smith

Anders Bjork – Sean Kuraly – Chris Wagner

Defense:

Jeremy Lauzon – Charlie McAvoy

Connor Clifton – Brandon Carlo

Jakub Zboril – Kevan Miller

Goalies:

Jaro Halak

Tuukka Rask

Philadelphia Flyers Lines

Forwards

Claude Giroux- Kevin Hayes – Joel Farabee

Oskar Lindblom – Nolan Patrick – Travis Konecny

James van Riemsdyk – Scott Laughton- Jakub Voracek

Michael Raffl – Connor Bunnerman – Nicolas Aube-Kubel

Defense

Ivan Provorov – Travis Sanheim

Erik Gustafsson – Justin Braun

Robert Hägg – Mark Friedman

Goalies

Carter Hart

Brian Elliott