By: Jack Studley | Follow me on Twitter/X @jackstudley13
A few days after completing a comeback win against the Rangers, the Bruins are off to Philadelphia to continue their preseason campaign. The Bruins will embark on their journey to Pennsylvania today, and puck drop will happen around 5:00 PM. The Boston Bruins announced who is on the 23-man roster in Philadelphia tonight, so let’s see who is playing for the black and gold.
Tonight’s roster features some NHL talent, but there are prospects and bubble players who are getting a chance to impress tonight. Marco Sturm and the Bruins have four preseason games remaining, but the first-time NHL head coach has been using every second of these preseason games to put together the most competitive lineup on opening night.
Forwards
Georgii Merkulov will slide into the Bruins’ preseason lineup for the first time this season. Merkulov has scored 70 goals for the Providence Bruins over 200 games and has yet to score an NHL goal in ten games in the league. Dalton Bancroft and Brett Harrison are also playing in their first preseason game of the season. Bancroft and Harrison were on the Bruins prospect challenge roster two weeks ago in Buffalo and played well, creating scoring chances and playing in the dirty net-front areas.
Mikey Eyssimont will return to the Bruins’ preseason lineup after putting on a show for the fans in the third period on Tuesday. Eyssimont’s two goals and an assist on the game-tying goal helped push the Bruins to their comeback against New York. He will have different linemates tonight, as the two he played with in New York are not playing tonight. Marat Khusnutdinov, another impact player against the Rangers, is also in the lineup tonight. His goal against the Rangers came with 1:02 remaining in the third, which looked like a confidence booster for the 23-year-old Russian.
Pavel Zacha and Sean Kuraly will be in the lineup for the Bruins tonight. Both are playing their first preseason game of the season. Marco Sturm has emphasized both Pavel Zacha and Casey Mittelstadt playing at the center dot this season, and with Mittelstadt out of the lineup tonight, Zacha has his opportunity to fight for second-line minutes. Also, Sean Kuraly will play in his first preseason game with the Bruins, again.
Defensemen
Hampus Lindholm is in the lineup tonight for the Bruins. Lindholm went down and missed the last 65 games of the 2024-25 season with his knee injury sustained in November. Lindholm told Elliotte Friedman of “32 Thoughts: The Podcast” that he was “doing great.” His return today will be the first time we have seen him in game action since his injury. Also on the blue line tonight are Mason Lohrei and Henri Jokiharju, each playing in their second preseason game of the year.
Defensemen getting another chance tonight include Jonathan Aspirot, Frederic Brunet, Michael Callahan, and Jordan Harris. Those four defensemen are not in the expected top six come opening day, but they are showing why they are worthy of the open seventh defenseman spot. Aspirot and Harris worked together very well against the Rangers on Tuesday, both guys adding to the Bruins’ offense from the blue line. Callahan has experience in the role from last season, and Brunet is a 22-year-old prospect who has taken strides in developing his game.
Goaltenders
The Bruins will travel with three goalies: Michael DiPietro, Simon Zajicek, and Luke Cavallin. DiPietro, the reigning Baz Bastien award winner for the AHL’s best goalie, stopped 16 of the 21 shots he faced on Sunday against Washington. Zajicek cleaned up the rest of the game, going six-for-six on shots faced. Luke Cavallin, signed this summer, has not made his preseason debut for the Bruins yet.
Leave a Reply