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Are the Boston Bruins better than their 4-4-0 record? I really don’t know. But what I do know is that this has been an absolutely, completely ridiculous run of injuries, suspensions, and everything in between for the Black and Gold. Just eight games into the season, too! The Black and Gold have had their full NHL lineup in action just once this season, in their Oct. 20 win over the New Jersey Devils in what was the club’s home opener. And even then, Ryan Spooner was a healthy scratch for not knowing how to be an NHL winger after a life at center, so was it really their full group?
Patrice Bergeron missed the first three games of the season. Goaltender Tuukka Rask has missed four games to injury, and the Bruins have allowed 18 goals against without him. David Backes, who had a minor elbow procedure last week, will miss his third straight game tonight when the Bruins take on the Florida Panthers. David Pastrnak, suspended two games for his illegal check to the head of Dan Girardi last Wednesday, finishes his suspension with an absence from tonight’s game.
Oh, and Bergeron, injured in Monday’s practice, might be out for tonight’s game, too.
It’s become both maddening and impossible to attempt to accurately judge what the Bruins are because they are never, well, uh, the Bruins. With Bergeron the potential latest casualty, Sean Kuraly has been recalled from the Providence Bruins on an emergency basis and could see time on Boston’s third line tonight, as every line but the fourth line with center Dominic Moore and wingers Noel Acciari and Tim Schaller was jumbled up at the Bruins’ morning skate at BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla. today.
With Bergeron missing, David Krejci moved to the first line between Brad Marchand and Danton Heinen. Matt Beleskey, pointless through eight games, moved to the second line on the left wing with Ryan Spooner at center and Austin Czarnik on the right. Kuraly, who has one assist in eight games with the P-Bruins, skated to the left of Riley Nash, while Jimmy Hayes remained on the right.
In net, the Bruins will give this start to Tuukka Rask.
Rask is a ridiculous 4-0-0 with a .958 save percentage in four games for the Bruins this season, and stopped all 24 shots thrown his way by the Detroit Red Wings last Saturday. The 29-year-old Rask has 15 wins (three shutouts) and a .950 save percentage in 19 career head-to-heads with the Panthers.
Florida counters Rask with Roberto Luongo. Luongo took a loss on Sat. behind a 22-of-25 night against the Buffalo Sabres, but enters tonight’s game with three wins and a .922 save percentage in four home games this year, and 15 wins and a .926 in 36 career games against the B’s.
- Bruins winger Brad Marchand has 12 goals and 21 points in 24 career games against Florida.
- Torey Krug is still searching for his first point of the season.
- Zdeno Chara has 18 points in 32 career games in Florida’s home rink.
- Jaromir Jagr has one goal and nine points in 11 games against the Bruins since the organization decided to move on from his following the 2012-13 season.
- Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad has just one goal in spite of a team-leading 27 shots on goal.
Other news and notes
Joe Morrow is the expected healthy scratch for the Bruins.
In addition to the aforementioned injuries and suspensions, defenseman Kevan Miller remains out of the lineup for the Black and Gold with a fracture in his left hand.
The Panthers are without three of their key contributors in Nick Bjugstad, Jussi Jokinen, and Jonathan Huberdeau.
This will be the first of five meetings between the Bruins and Panthers this season.
Ty Anderson has been covering the National Hockey League for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010 and has been a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter since 2013. Ty is also the Boston Bruins beat writer for WEEI.com and can also be found in the New England Hockey Journal. Contact him on Twitter or send him an email at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com.