The big news as the Vancouver Canucks take to the ice against the Boston Bruins is that Brock Boeser is back.
But this is also the first time that a couple members of the Canucks and Bruins will face their former team.
Last season, the Canucks made two significant trades with the Calgary Flames to bring in Nikita Zadorov and Elias Lindholm, both of whom played a significant role for the Canucks in the playoffs.
Lindholm was one of the Canucks' leading scorers in the postseason, putting up 5 goals and 10 points in 13 games, while Zadorov became a fan favourite thanks to his electrifying rushes, clutch goals, and big hits on the ice and his killer quotes in interviews off the ice. While there was reportedly interest on the part of the Canucks in bringing both players back, the two instead went to free agency and both signed with the Bruins instead.
It's just as well. The Canucks couldn't have afforded either Lindholm's seven-year contract worth $7.75 million per year or Zadorov's six-year contract worth $5 million per year. Also, the early reviews from the Bruins faithful haven't been entirely positive.
Lindholm is third on the Bruins in scoring but that's not saying much on a low-scoring Bruins team. He has 3 goals and 10 points in 22 games. Zadorov has just five points, all assists, in 22 games and leads the team in penalty minutes with 46 — mostly hooking and slashing calls.
The Canucks, meanwhile, signed two Bruins in free agency: Jake DeBrusk and Danton Heinen. While there have been some growing pains, the Canucks can be reasonably happy with their investment.
Heinen has as many points as Lindholm in three fewer games with 3 goals and 10 points in 19 games. Also, he's on a two-year contract worth $2.25 million per year.
DeBrusk has struggled with consistency but has 5 goals and 13 points in 19 games and is coming off a three-point game against the Ottawa Senators. He seems to have found some chemistry alongside Elias Pettersson and Kiefer Sherwood, a line that has outright dominated puck possession.
Overall, DeBrusk has had a positive impact in his minutes, as he has a 57.9% expected goals percentage at 5-on-5 and the Canucks have out-scored their opponents 17-to-9 when he's been on the ice at 5-on-5. He'll be looking to further tilt that ratio against his former team.
"I hope so, I'm not going to lie to you," said DeBrusk with a grin when asked if he was hoping to score a couple goals against the Bruins. "To be honest with you, I've actually had more success on the road than at home. It's still so early, it's only 20 games in, but hopefully I keep it going in a winning cause."
Vancouver Canucks projected linesWith Brock Boeser returning, the Canucks could have significantly changed their lines after their win over the Senators. Instead, it's expected that Tocchet will keep his top line of DeBrusk, Pettersson, and Sherwood intact, as well as the second line of Pius Suter between Dakota Joshua and Conor Garland.
At practice on Monday, Boeser skated on the third line with Danton Heinen and Teddy Blueger, although he of course practiced on the top power play unit.
Here are the Canucks' projected lines:
With Boeser returning, Max Sasson will draw out of the lineup, though Tocchet seemed reluctant to do so.
"That's the hardest thing as a coach because he doesn't really deserve to come out," said Tocchet. "I thought he played a really good game. But the message to him is that he could go in the next game against Pittsburgh. He played a good game for us, I really enjoyed watching the way he played a team game"
The Canucks experimented with splitting up Carson Soucy and Tyler Myers against the Senators with positive results, even if those results may have been skewed by Quinn Hughes leaving the game midway through the first period.
Assuming the Canucks continue that experiment against the Bruins, look for Erik Brännström to play on the second pairing with Tyler Myers, while Carson Soucy moves to the third pairing with Noah Juulsen, unless Vincent Desharnais draws in for Juulsen.
The Canucks' starting goaltender will be Kevin Lankinen, who played a solid game against the Senators, holding them to one goal until the final minutes when they made a major push with the extra attacker.
Boston Bruins projected linesThe Bruins don't look like the powerhouse team they once were. This season, they're the lowest-scoring team in the NHL, averaging just 2.32 goals per game, while giving up 3.18 goals per game. Their power play is second-to-last at 12.8%.
Their start has been bad enough that Jim Montgomery, who won the Jack Adams Award for coach of the year in 2023, was fired after 20 games.
The Bruins have won both of their games since firing Montgomery and replacing him with assistant coach Joe Sacco on an interim basis. The Canucks ought to be wary of the new coach bump, as firing a head coach can be a wake-up call to the players.
Here are the Bruins' projected lines courtesy of WEEI's Scott McLaughlin:
Morgan Geekie - Pavel Zacha - David Pastrnak
Brad Marchand - Elias Lindholm - Justin Brazeau
Trent Frederic - Charlie Coyle - Marc McLaughlin
John Beecher - Mark Kastelic - Cole Koepke
Mason Lohrei - Charlie McAvoy
Parker Wotherspoon - Brandon Carlo
Nikita Zadorov - Andrew Peeke
Jeremy Swayman
Joonas Korpisalo
David Pastrnak is still David Pastrnak and is always a threat when he steps over the boards. He currently leads the Bruins in scoring with 8 goals and 19 points in 22 games.
The Bruins' starting goaltender will be Jeremy Swayman, who has not looked like the same goaltender as last season when he was third in the NHL in save percentage among goaltenders with 30+ starts. This season, his .887 save percentage is one of the worst in the league among regular starters, in stark contrast to the .911 save percentage posted by his backup, Joonas Korpisalo.
