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The Boston Bruins are just nine days away from the start of their regular season. And with too many bodies still in town and with too many positions still unset, head coach Claude Julien, still fresh back from his World Cup of Hockey run with Team Canada, is bringing an NHL-heavy lineup up to Quebec City for Boston’s Tuesday night preseason head-to-head with the Montreal Canadiens.

Among the notable additions to the Bruins lineup for the game include the return of Team Canada superstars Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand along with Team Europe alternate captain Zdeno Chara, and Team Finland netminder Tuukka Rask from the World Cup and back into a B’s sweater. Team Europe top-four defender Christian Ehrhoff, with the Black and Gold on a professional tryout, will also draw into the lineup on Boston’s third pairing.

But the big addition to the Bruins comes with a return to game action for center David Krejci (hip) and defenseman Torey Krug (shoulder) from their offseason surgeries.

Krug is expected to skate on Boston’s second pairing opposite Kevan Miller.

And with Julien clearly looking at what worked for Team Canada in the World Cup, Krejci will center an all-center second line with playmaking pivot Ryan Spooner on the left wing and free agent catch and big-bodied net-front presence David Backes on the right. It will be interesting to see how Spooner -- who initially struggled on the wing upon his first NHL recalls but has since dramatically improved in regards to his work along the walls and his shot, with 13 goals (seventh-most among B’s) last season -- handles the wing.

David Pastrnak will skate on the right side with Bergeron and Marchand, while Austin Czarnik will center a third line with Matt Beleskey and Jimmy Hayes on the wings. The fourth line will feature 2015 first-round pick Jake DeBrusk with Tim Schaller and either Noel Acciari or Tyler Randell.

Rask and Malcolm Subban are the Boston goaltenders for this one, while Montreal counters with Al Montoya and Massachusetts native Mike Condon.

Ty Anderson has been covering the National Hockey League for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, has been a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter since 2013, and can also be read in the New England Hockey Journal magazine. Contact him on Twitter or send him an email at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com.

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