Game 12: Boston Bruins @ Toronto Maple Leafs Lines, Preview

Here’s your Boston Hockey Now Boston Bruins Game Day Preview:

Boston Bruins (10-1-0, 20 pts) vs Toronto Maple Leafs (5-4-2, 12 pts)

TIME: 7 P.M. ET, Scotiabank Arena

TV: NESN, NHL Network, Sportsnet

Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub

The Boston Bruins will look to close out their four-game road trip with their eighth-straight win Saturday night in Toronto against their Atlantic Division and Original 6 rival, the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Boston Bruins Notes

– Linus Ullmark will be getting the start again for the Bruins. Ullmark has tied Tim Thomas for the best start by a goalie in Bruins team history. Ullmark is 8-0-0 with a 2.17 GAA and .929 save percentage.

-The Boston Bruins own the league’s highest-scoring offense (4.46 goals per game) and have scored five or more in times in seven of their 11 games thus far. They’re fifth overall in GAA at 2.55 goals allowed per game.

-David Pastrnak comes into this game riding a six-game point streak with five goals and six assists in his last six games. Pastrnak leads the Bruins in goals with eight lamplighters and assists with 11 helpers. Pastrnak is tied with three other players for fourth in NHL goal-scoring and is third in points.

-Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm has to be considered an early Norris Trophy candidate. Lindholm is second on the Bruins in assists with nine helpers and in points with 13. Lindholm has two goals and four assists in his last two games and three multi-point performances in his last four games. Lindholm is ranked third in points for NHL defensemen.

-Don’t sleep on Bruins center Charlie Coyle either as Coyle enters this game on a four-game scoring streak.

-Boston Bruins center David Krejci will be back in the lineup tonight after missing three games with an upper-body injury.

-Defenseman Derek Forbort had surgery on his middle finger and is out four to six weeks, and goalie Jeremy Swayman is week-to-week with a lower-body injury

Toronto Maple Leafs Notes

-With the rough start that the Maple Leafs have had to start the season, the Toronto media and fans are treating this game like a playoff game. While the team isn’t exactly doing that, they know that this is their stiffest test yet and could do a lot towards getting their season on track:

“We know we’re going to be challenged to another level, and we’re looking to get to another level as a team,” Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters on Friday. “I think we’ll be ready for it. I expect Boston is going to give us a lot to handle.”

-Maple Leafs star center Auston Matthews came under heavy criticism for instigating a fight with Philadelphia Flyers forward Travis Konecny and his team up 5-2 late this past Thursday and IMHO, he deserved it for this cowardly, bush-league play.

–Wayne Simmonds was recalled from the Toronto Marlies on Friday and will be in the lineup tonight. Simmonds was sent down to the AHL on Nov. 1 and hasn’t played in the NHL since Oct. 29. He’s only played three games for the Leafs this season after being waived just prior to the season opener on Oct. 12.

-Here’s the lengthy injured reserve list for the Maple Leafs as of Saturday morning: Goalies Matt Murray (groin, IR) and Joseph Woll (undisclosed), defensemen Jordie Benn (groin), Jake Muzzin (head/neck; LTIR), and Carl Dahlstrom (undisclosed), and forwards Kyle Clifford (shoulder), and Rodion Armirov (undisclosed).

Boston Bruins Lineup:

Forwards

Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Jake DeBrusk

Taylor Hall-David Krejci-David Pastrnak

Trent Frederic-Charlie Coyle-Pavel Zacha

Nick Foligno-Tomas Nosek-A.J. Greer

Defense:

Hampus Lindholm-Connor Clifton

Matt Grzelcyk-Brandon Carlo

Mike Reilly-Anton Stralman

Goalies:

Linus Ullmark

Keith Kinkaid

Toronto Maple Leafs Lineup:

Forwards:

Michael Bunting-Auston Matthews-Mitch Marner

Alex Kerfoot-Jophn Tavares-William Nylander

Pierre Engvall-Calle Jarnkrok-Wayne Simmonds

Zach Aston-Reese-David Kampf-Denis Malgin

Defensemen:

T.J. Brodie-Justin Holl

Morgan Reilly-Timothy Liljegren

Mark Giordano-Rasmus Sandin

Goalies

Ilya Samsonov

Erik Kallgren