Boston Bruins

Bruins at Wild Preview: Lines, Notes & How To Watch

Published

5 months ago

March 2, 2025

After snapping a five-game losing skid yesterday, the Boston Bruins (28-25-8) have no time to celebrate as they head into Xcel Energy Center this afternoon to face the Minnesota Wild (34-22-4). Here’s what you need to know before puck drop.

Brad Marchand’s Status Unknown:

The injuries continue to pile up for the Bruins with Brad Marchand now the latest addition to the list.

Marchand exited yesterday’s game with an upper-body injury during the first period and did not return after getting crushed against the boards by Penguins defenseman P.O. Joseph.

Bruins interim head coach Joe Sacco did not have an update on Marchand’s status afterward and his expected to have more details before today’s game against the Wild.

Projected Bruins Lines:

Geekie – Zacha – Pastrnak

Marchand* – E. Lindholm – Coyle

Merkulov – Poitras – Koepke

Viel – Beecher – Kastelic

Zadorov – Carlo

Lohrei – Peeke

Wotherspoon – Mitchell

Swayman

Korpisalo

Last Time Out:

The Bruins snapped a five-game losing streak on Saturday with a 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

David Pastrnak put them on the board, early scoring just 92 seconds into the game to extend his current point streak to 17 games. When Mason Lohrei added to the lead later on in the first period, it seemed the Bruins were rolling.

But from that point on, everything started to go downhill.

Despite having several high-danger chances to add to their lead, the Bruins just could not finish. As the offense dried up, the Bruins put themselves in deep water by taking seven penalties in the game but survived a late Pittsburgh push behind a stellar performance from the penalty kill and Joonas Korpisalo.

The Opponent:

The Minnesota Wild enter action struggling through a three-game losing streak, with a 5-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Friday only the latest.

Offense has been scarce in Minnesota lately, especially with star sniper Kirill Kaprizov still out recovering from surgery, as the Wild have averaged just a little over two goals per game over their last eight games. To add a bit more skill to their lineup, the Wild re-acquired Gustav Nyquist in a trade with the Nashville Predators on Saturday.

It’s to be determined who will be in net for the Wild, but there’s no bad option. Filip Gustavsson has started the majority of games this year, but the venerable Marc-Andre Fleury has shown he’s still a solid puck-stopper in the twilight of his career.

Without Kaprizov in the lineup, Massachusetts native Matt Boldy is the most dangerous weapon the Wild have, with 52 points and 21 goals.

Minnesota’s power play this year ranks 23rd in the league (19.6%), while its penalty kill is among the worst in the league, ranking 31st (70.6%).

When the Bruins and Wild last met on February 4, Boston picked up a 3-0 win behind a 36-save shutout performance from Jeremy Swayman at TD Garden.

How To Watch:

Puck drop between the Bruins and Wild from Xcel Energy Center is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. EST. The game can be seen on TNT and NESN and streamed on MAX and NESN 360 for out-of-market viewers. 98.5 The Sports Hub will carry the radio broadcast of the game.