Bruins announce roster for preseason opener vs. Flyers

After just three on-ice sessions, Jim Montgomery and the Bruins will head to Philadelphia on Saturday night for the start of what will be a six-game preseason grind.

The good news for those of you without a social life (*waves at myself in the mirror*), tonight’s contest can be viewed on NESN and will be available on 98.5 The Sports Hub.

And as you would expect, the opener will indeed come with a more youngster-friendly lineup on the part of the traveling Bruins, as confirmed by the team.

Up front, the Bruins will ice a top line that’ll feature 2019 first-round pick Johnny Beecher between wingers Nick Foligno and Jake DeBrusk.

This has been a consistent line for the Bruins throughout the opening hours of camp, and the Bruins have really liked what they’ve seen from the 21-year-old Beecher out of the gate.

Boston’s second line in this one will see A.J. Greer ride to the left of center Jack Studnicka, while 2021 first-round pick Fabian Lysell will get the call on the right side. This is the start of an interesting camp for all three players, really, as Lysell has high hopes for his 2022-23 season after a second-half surge in the WHL last season, while both Greer and Studnicka require waivers to be sent down to the AHL.

On the third line, Tomas Nosek will skate between Chris Wagner and Oskar Steen, while the Bruins’ fourth line will feature Jakub Lauko, Joona Koppanen, and Vinni Lettieri.

On the backend, the Bruins will ice a top defensive pairing featuring Jakub Zboril on the left and Connor Carrick on the right. Through a couple days of work, Montgomery has been impressed with Zboril’s ability to kill plays in his own zone.

Boston’s second pair will feature Jack Ahcan and Josiah Didier together, while Dan Renouf and Kai Wissman will round out the defense as the Black and Gold’s third pairing.

The B’s had a slight scare on that third pair this morning when Wissman took a stick to the face during a morning skate drill. But he should be good to go, according to Montgomery.

WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 20: Goalie Keith Kinkaid #71 of the New York Rangers follows the puck in the second period against the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)

In net, it’ll be Keith Kinkaid and Kyle Keyser in net.

The Bruins are not sure how they’re going to break it up — they could give two periods for Kinkaid and one for Keyser or split it down the middle — but the Bruins do know that it’ll be Kinkaid in net to start.

John Tortorella and the Flyers, meanwhile, will counter with a youth-heavy lineup of their own.