The Boston Bruins (4-4-0, eight points) host the New York Islanders (4-2-0, eight points) Thursday night (7 ET) at TD Garden. Here’s what to watch for:

WELCOME BACK: Former Bruins defenseman Johnny Boychuk and former goaltender Chad Johnson will both be on the ice when puck drops tonight. This is the first time Boychuk will face the Bruins since he was traded to the Islanders on Oct. 4. In his first six games for New York, Boychuk has two goals and four assists for six points. Johnson signed with the Islanders as a free agent in July for two years worth $2.6 million. Tonight will be Johnson’s third start of the season for New York.

IF IT AIN’T BROKE: It appears Bruins coach Claude Julien will keep the defensive pairing of Dennis Seidenberg and Torey Krug together for a second consecutive game. Krug, who normally plays the left side, moved to the right with Seidenberg as his partner during Tuesday’s 5-3 win over the San Jose Sharks. That leaves Zdeno Chara and Dougie Hamilton as the team’s top pairing, along with Matt Bartkowski and Adam McQuaid as the third pairing.

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE LATELY: The Bruins are 3-1-0 in their last four games. On Tuesday, Boston posted a 5-3 win over the San Jose Sharks. The Bruins are 2-2-0 on home ice this season. The Islanders dropped a 5-2 decision to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night at Nassau Coliseum. New York began the season 4-0-0 before losing the last two games to the Pittsburgh Penguins and Maple Leafs.

MASKED MEN: Niklas Svedberg will make his third start (fourth game) for the Bruins. He’s 1-1-0, with a 0.91 goals-against average and a .969 save percentage. He’s coming off his first career NHL shutout, beating the Buffalo Sabres 4-0 last Saturday at First Niagara Center. Johnson gets the nod for the Islanders. He’s 1-0-0 with a 2.25 GAA and a .897 SP in two games this season for New York.