Bruins will finally deploy new top defensive pair in preseason tilt at Rangers
The Boston Bruins have a new-look No. 1 defensive pairing to try out.
Thursday night will be the in-game debut of the Bruins’ new top D-pair, when the B’s take on the New York Rangers in preseason action at Madison Square Garden. They’re projected to deploy Nikita Zadorov on the left side and Charlie McAvoy on the right side as the latest No. 1 blue line duo.
In addition to McAvoy and Zadorov, several other key pieces of the Boston roster will be active on Thursday night, including forwards David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha. Second-year pro Matt Poitras, who has played multiple spots in the lineup and has a good chance to land on the NHL roster out of camp, will also get some game time.
MORE… Bruins Training Camp Notebook: Marchand returns
Here’s the full roster for Thursday night…
Forwards: Joey Abate, Riley Duran, John Farinacci, Morgan Geekie, Brett Harrison, Mark Kastelic, Cole Koepke, Trevor Kuntar, Marc McLaughlin, David Pastrnak, Matt Poitras, Pavel Zacha
Defensemen: Drew Bavaro, Michael Callahan, Ryan Mast, Charlie McAvoy, Ian Mitchell, Parker Wotherspoon, Nikita Zadorov
Goaltenders: Brandon Bussi, Michael DiPietro, Kasimir Kaskisuo
Here are the projected lines and pairings for the game, as reported by Joe Pohoryles:
Zacha-Poitras-Pastrnak
Harrison-Geekie-Duran
Koepke-Kastelic-Johnson
Kuntar-Farinacci-McLaughlin
Zadorov-McAvoy
Callahan-Mitchell
Wotherspoon-Bavaro
Millman-Mast
Poitras has recently gotten a look in practice with Zacha and Pastrnak on the projected No. 1 line, in the absence of free-agent addition Elias Lindholm. Head coach Jim Montgomery told reporters after Wednesday’s training camp practice that everyone who had missed time up to that point will be back in action next week.
The Bruins and Rangers face off at 7 p.m. ET. You can get the call of the game on 98.5 The Sports Hub with Ryan Johnston and Bob Beers. They’ll be off Friday, before returning to preseason action against the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday at Wells Fargo Center.
Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.
Bruins Training Camp Notebook: The first look at key new faces
BOSTON — The Boston Bruins’ big off-season additions should make a big impact – both literally and figuratively.
The B’s held their first day of open training camp practices on Thursday at Warrior Ice Arena, splitting the roster into groups A and B, and the first half featured the team’s most critical new players at each level of the ice: center Elias Lindholm, defenseman Nikita Zadorov, and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo.
The latter is going to be under the proverbial microscope, as long as Jeremy Swayman is absent from camp, as he and the Bruins work toward a new contract. But Lindholm and Zadorov are set for major roles at their respective positions, regardless of who else makes the team. The extremely, severely, incredibly early returns on both of them are promising.
MORE: Bruins offer slight glimpse into Jim Montgomery’s future with club
Here’s a rundown of the things that stood out the most on the first day of 2024-25 Bruins training camp…
Group A Lineup
Forward Lines
Pavel Zacha – Elias Lindholm – David Pastrnak
Cole Koepke – Trent Frederic – Matthew Poitras
Riley Tufte – Georgii Merkulov – Lettieri
Jeffrey Viel/Joey Abate – Jaxon Nelson – Patrick Brown
Defensive Pairs
Nikita Zadorov – Charlie McAvoy
Parker Wotherspoon – Ian Mitchell
Loke Johansson – Billy Sweezey
Frederic Brunet – Drew Bavaro
Goaltenders
Joonas Korpisalo
Michael DiPietro
Nolan Maier
(Credit: Fluto Shinzawa)
Group B Lineup
Forward Lines
Tyler Johnson – Charlie Coyle – Fabian Lysell
Max Jones – Morgan Geekie – Justin Brazeau
Johnny Beecher – Mark Kastelic – Riley Duran
Brett Harrison – Trevor Kuntar/John Farinacci – Marc McLaughlin
Defensive Pairs
Hampus Lindholm – Brandon Carlo
Mason Lohrei – Andrew Peeke
Mike Callahan – Jordan Oesterle
Mason Millman – Ryan Mast
Goaltenders
Brandon Bussi
Kasimir Kaskisuo
Ryan Bischel
(Credit: Fluto Shinzawa)
The big takeaways from Thursday’s practice, being the first day of camp for the media, are about the lineup and the different configurations of forwards and defensemen. Here are the most notable developments…
A New Top Line
The Bruins are indeed going to roll with a forward line of Pavel Zacha at left wing, Elias Lindholm at center, and David Pastrnak at right wing, at least to start camp. And the group is already showing good chemistry. This especially stood out when they were in the offensive zone in 5-on-5 drills, making crisp, fast, dynamic passes to set each other up for scoring opportunities.
As for Elias Lindholm specifically, his defensive zone positioning will be a big asset for a Bruins team that really missed having a strong two-way center presence atop the lineup. Moving Zacha to left wing will take that burden off him. Lindholm should be a tremendous help clogging up opposing passing lanes and getting breakouts going the other way, which should help spark Zacha and Pastrnak offensively.
Lindholm did score during the 5-on-5 periods, ripping home a centering pass from Zacha past Maier, who couldn’t quite range over in time with his glove. This line should most certainly be productive offensively, and the addition of Lindholm should be a massive value-add at the defensive end.
Zadorov Paired With McAvoy
To start camp, the Bruins are pairing free-agent signing Nikita Zadorov with Charlie McAvoy. The general hope is that Zadorov’s defensive zone presence can help activate McAvoy offensively, and the pair can complement each other that way. But what stood out the most about the pair is that in the Bruins’ end, they should be an absolute pain in the ass to play against.
We already know about McAvoy’s ability to play a heavy game, and Zadorov’s sheer size and penchant for highlight-reel hitting (none of that today, which is understandable) are standout traits. But Zadorov also looked impressive with his length and reach. As long as he has sound positioning around the net, it’s going to be hard to get pucks or bodies around him.
Zadorov also made a nice play to bump his man off the puck in the corner (name escaped me, I APOLOGIZE, but it wasn’t an NHL player), and chip it up the boards for a breakout opportunity. Zadorov is underrated in his ability to move the puck up and out of the D-zone in multiple ways. It should be a boost for a Bruins blue line that struggled to clear the puck in the playoffs.
Big Opportunity For Lysell
Bruins forward Fabian Lysell should be the favorite to take the coveted right wing spot next to Charlie Coyle, and after one day of camp, he’s indeed slotted in there.
Lysell’s speed stands out at all times, the way he skates so fluidly and effortlessly while doing it faster than everyone else on the ice. He didn’t get a ton of chances to show off his skill, as most of the 5-on-5 drills emphasized puck movement and board play, but he did get a shot off during one drill. He’s certainly a dangerous player with the puck on his stick.
The areas where Lysell can, and always has needed, to improve involve playing without the puck. He doesn’t look quite as fast or engaged when he doesn’t possess the vulcanized rubber. That, and he tends to get knocked off the puck a little too easily when defensemen really bear down on him. But if he can move like he did in practice today and ends up producing, he should stay in the lead to make the NHL club as a needed scoring threat.
More notes and observations from day 1 of Boston Bruins training camp…
The Korpisalo Fix
ST PAUL, MINNESOTA – APRIL 02: Joonas Korpisalo #70 of the Ottawa Senators looks on against the Minnesota Wild in the second period at Xcel Energy Center on April 02, 2024 in St Paul, Minnesota. The Wild defeated the Senators 3-2. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
If the unthinkable happens – that Jeremy Swayman goes into the regular season without a contract and can’t play – all eyes will be on Joonas Korpisalo as the next man up to start the majority of games.
Korpisalo struggled mightily last season for a not-that-good Ottawa Senators team, but now lands in arguably the best possible situation for a goaltender in the league, with a good team in front of him and a coaching wizard in “Goalie Bob” Essensa. He’s looking to recapture the magic he found in a brief stint with the L.A. Kings just two seasons ago, when he posted a 2.13 goals against average and a .921 save percentage.
The veteran goalie’s size and length stand out (6-foot-3), but from my view, he’s not utilizing his frame enough from a technique standpoint. Just standing in the way of pucks won’t cut it here. But if anyone can fix whatever ailed him in Ottawa and get him moving his pads more and getting the right angles, it’s “Goalie Bob.”
