The Boston Bruins (13-9-0, 26 points) host the Pittsburgh Penguins (13-4-2, 28 points) on Monday night (7 p.m. ET) at TD Garden. Here’s what to watch for:
MOVING ON UP: Bruins first-round pick David Pastrnak could make his NHL debut. He was recalled from Providence of the AHL, and coach Claude Julien said the 18-year-old rookie would be a game-time decision. Pastrnak is an exciting player to watch and has showcased his offensive skills with the P-Bruins this season. Boston selected Pastrnak with the 25th pick in last June’s draft. During Monday’s morning skate, he was on the right wing with center Alex Khokhlachev, while Jordan Caron and Seth Griffith split time on the left side. If Pastrnak plays Monday night, he will become the fourth Bruin to play his first NHL game this season, joining Bobby Robins, Griffith and Joe Morrow.
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE LATELY: The Bruins had their three-game winning streak snapped with a 2-0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday at TD Garden. The Bruins are 8-5-0 on home ice this season. Boston is 4-2-0 against Metropolitan Division opponents. It’s the first of three games against the Penguins this season, and Pittsburgh’s only visit to Boston. The Bruins are 3-8-1 in their last 12 games against the Penguins. Pittsburgh is 7-2-1 on the road this season and overall are 7-2-1 in its last 10 games
MASKED MEN: Tuukka Rask gets the nod against the Penguins. He’s 10-6-0 with a 2.36 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage in 16 games this season. He has allowed only three goals in his last three games. Rask is 8-3-0 in his last 11 starts. The Penguins’ Marc-Andre Fleury is 11-3-1 with a 2.10 GAA and a .926 SP in 15 games this season. He also has four shutouts this season and is one win shy of reaching 300 in his career.
LINE COMBOS: Due to numerous injuries, Julien has been forced to tweak his line combinations the last few games. David Krejci and Chris Kelly will not play Monday night, and Marchand will be a game-time decision.
Here are the lines from the team’s morning skate.
Milan Lucic-Carl Soderberg-Loui Eriksson
Marchand/Matt Fraser-Patrice Bergeron-Reilly Smith
Daniel Paille-Gregory Campbell-Simon Gagne
Jordan Caron/Seth Griffith-Alexander Khokhlachev-Pastrnak