Game 19: Boston Bruins @ Tampa Bay Lightning Lines, Preview

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

Boston Bruins (16-2-0, 32 pts) @ Tampa Bay Lightning (11-6-1, 23 pts)

TIME: 7 P.M. ET,

TV: NESN, BSSUNX

Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub

The Boston Bruins are off to one of the best starts in NHL history with 16 wins in 18 games, and are a perfect 11-0-0 on TD Garden ice to start this season. After winning a record 11th-straight game at home on Saturday, the Bruins now begin a two-game roadie through Florida that kicks off tonight in Tampa Bay against the Lightning and concludes on Wednesday in Sunrise, Florida against the Panthers. This will also kick off a ten-game slate that will include eight games against NHL teams in playoff contention.

“This is a really good test. We’ve played a lot of home games this year. This is always a building that gives us a good test. We want that,” Boston Bruins winger Taylor Hall said following his team’s morning skate at Amalie Arena on Monday. “I think at this point in our schedule, we’re starting to look at teams that are very good hockey teams. The next seven games are all teams that you could conceivably see winning the Cup this year and all teams that have had really good seasons prior to this. We’re excited for that challenge. We’re looking forward to that. It’s great to win 6-1 and everything but we want to test our mettle and face some adversity, because we know that’s coming, and see what we’re made of in those situations.”

Boston Bruins Notes

-Boston Bruins goalie Linus Ullmark will be back between the pipes Monday. Ullmark is off to a Vezina Trophy-worthy start this season. He enters the game with a 12-1-0 with a 1.89 GAA and .937 save percentage.

–Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery is keeping ‘The Czech Line’ of Pavel Zacha-David Krejci-David Pastrnak together after reuniting them with great success over the last two games.

-Defenseman Derek Forbort remains week to week after surgery on a broken middle finger, but he has resumed skating on his own ahead of Bruins practices.

Tampa Bay Lightning Notes

-Tampa Bay Lighting defenseman Mikhail Sergachev is off to the best start of his career with four goals and 14 assists in 18 games. Sergachev led the Lightning in points against the Boston Bruins last season with four assists in four games and has three multi-point games over his last five games against the Bruins.

-Andrei Vasilevskiy will get the start for the Lightning. He’s 7-5-1 with a 2.84 GAA and .909 save percentage. Vasilevskiy is 6-3-1 with a .925 save percentage and one shutout in his last 10 starts against the Bruins.

-Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos are tied for the team lead in goals with ten lamplighters a piece. Kucherov leads in assists with 18 and points with 28.

Boston Bruins Lineup:

Forwards

Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Jake DeBrusk

Pavel Zacha-David Krejci-David Pastrnak

Taylor Hall-Charlie Coyle-Trent Frederic

Nick Foligno-Tomas Nosek-A.J. Greer

Defense:

Matt Grzelcyk-Charlie McAvoy

Hampus Lindholm-Brandon Carlo

Anton Stralman-Connor Clifton

Goalies:

Linus Ullmark

Jeremy Swayman

Tampa Bay Lightning Lineup:

Forwards

Brandon Hagel – Brayden Point – Nikita Kucherov

Steven Stamkos – Nick Paul – Alex Killorn

Ross Colton – Vladislov Namesnikov – Corey Perry

Rudolfs Balcers – Pierre-Edouard Bellmare – Pat Maroon

Defense

Victor Hedman – Erik Cernak

Mikhail Sergachev – Ian Cole

Haydn Fleury – Zach Bogosian

Goalies

Andrei Vasilevskiy

Brian Elliott