Game 6: Boston Bruins @ Islanders Lines, Preview

The Boston Bruins will beat the New York Islanders in Game 6 of the East Division Final (7:30 PM ET, NBCSN, TVAS, CBC, Sportsnet). That’s it. That’s your intro to the BHN preview today!

Boston Bruins Notes

-Ever since Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask was pulled following the second period of the Bruins’ Game 5 loss for health reasons, there has been widespread speculation that rookie Jeremy Swayman, who replaced Rask on Monday night, would get the nod as the Bruins’ starting goalie for Game 6 tonight. Cassidy didn’t do much to fan the flames of speculation on Tuesday but on Wednesday morning the Bruins head coach made it crystal clear that Rask is still his starter.

“He’s ready to go. It’s that simple. He’s our starter,” Cassidy replied when asked to explain the decision to go with Rask. “He’s healthy and ready to go and let’s hope that he’s on and that we’re better in front of him than we were in Game 5.″

-Defensemen Brandon Carlo (upper-body), Kevan Miller (upper-body), and forward Curtis Lazar (lower-body) are out for the Bruins in Game 6. Defenseman John Moore (hip) and forward Ondrej Kase (upper-body) are out for the season.

-With Lazar out, winger Jake DeBrusk will draw back into the lineup and skate on the left wing of the third line with Charlie Coyle and Karson Kuhlman. That means winger Nick Ritchie drops down a line and will skate on the left wing with Sean Kuraly and Chris Wagner.

–The Bruins’ powerplay is now 10-for-30 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs after going 1-for-2 in Game 5 against the Islanders. The Boston Bruins are scoring at a 33.3% clip on the powerplay that has them third in the NHL playoff field.

-The Bruins’ PK has not been themselves in this series and they were torched again in Game 5, allowing the Islanders to score on three of their four powerplay attempts. The Bruins’ penalty kill has now killed off 27 of 36 power-play attempts against in the playoffs for a 75-percent success rate.

New York Islanders Notes

–Semyon Varlamov was huge again for the Islanders in Game 5, making 40 saves on 44 shots and stoning the Bruins every time they gained momentum, specifically in the third period when he stopped 16 of the 18 shots the Bruins poured on him, while the Isles only mustered up three in the final frame. Varlamov is 3-3 with a 2.72 GAA and .925 save percentage.

-The Islanders’ powerplay is 9-for-31 with a 29-percent success rate.

-The Islanders’ penalty kill has killed off 15 of 23 power-play attempts against in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

-For more info on the Islanders for this and every game in the series, go check out NYI Hockey Now!

Boston Bruins Lines

Forwards:

Brad Marchand – Patrice Bergeron – David Pastrnak

Taylor Hall – David Krejci – Craig Smith

Nick Ritchie – Charlie Coyle – Karson Kuhlman

Sean Kuraly – Curtis Lazar – Chris Wagner 

Defense:

Matt Grzelcyk – Charlie McAvoy

Mike Reilly – Jeremy Lauzon

Jarred Tinordi – Connor Clifton

Goalies:

Tuukka Rask

Jeremy Swayman

New York Islanders Lines

Forwards

Leo Komarov — Mathew Barzal — Jordan Eberle

Anthony Beauvillier — Brock Nelson — Josh Bailey

Kyle Palmieri – Jean-Gabriel Pageau – Travis Zajac

Matt Martin — Casey Cizikas — Cal Clutterbuck

Defense

Adam Pelech — Ryan Pulock

Nick Leddy — Scott Mayfield

Andy Greene — Noah Dobson

Goalies

Semyon Varlamov

Ilya Sorokin