Forbort A Healthy Scratch After Missing Team Meeting

Boston Bruins defenseman Derek Forbort will not play against the Kraken in Seattle on Monday night after missing a team meeting.

“Not a player tonight, Shattenkirk is in,” Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery replied when asked why Forbort didn’t participate in the game-day skate at Climate Pledge Arena on Monday. “He missed a team meeting, so that’s just our standard here with the Bruins is. …so. …just like J.D. [Jake DeBrusk] earlier in the year.”

Montgomery was referencing when Bruins winger Jake DeBrusk was benched for missing a team meeting before his team’s 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Oct. 21.

Forbort’s absence from this team meeting had to be especially frustrating for Montgomery, who did seem ticked off and mincing words when discussing it with the assembled media in Seattle. While injuries have kept him out of 25 games and are likely playing a role, Forbort has not been the steady third-pairing defenseman the Bruins were able to depend on over the course of his first two seasons in a Bruins uniform. The 6-foot-4, 216-pound rearguard has been a minus player in four of his last six games and has been inconsistent on the penalty kill, which is usually his strongest area of play. Forbort also has no goals and just four assists in 34 games played.

With Forbort out, Montgomery has dropped Parker Wotherspoon back down to the third pairing and put defenseman Matt Grzelcyk back on the top pairing with Charlie McAvoy. Here’s what the lineup should look like for the Boston Bruins when they close out their four-game road trip against the Seattle Kraken.

Forwards

Brad Marchand – Charlie Coyle – Anthony RichardDanton Heinen

Jake DeBrusk – Pavel Zacha – David Pastrnak

Danton Heinen – Morgan Geekie – Trent Frederic

James van Riemsdyk – Jesper Boqvist – Justin Brazeau

Defensemen

Matt Grzelcyk – Charlie McAvoy

Mason Lohrei – Brandon Carlo

Parker Wotherspoon – Kevin Shattenkirk

Goalies

Linus Ullmark

Jeremy Swayman