Bruins-Ducks Projected Lines, Pairings: Boston Aims To End Slump
The Boston Bruins still haven’t shaken off their ongoing losing streak, which reached six games during Sunday night’s loss to the Los Angeles Kings.
Boston allowed seven goals, relied on a near-goalie fight between Jeremy Swayman and Darcy Kuemper as the team’s only sign of life, and failed to compete beyond the first period. None of it was enough, and the locker room resembled a defeated environment once more, now with 10 games left on the regular season schedule — including Thursday night. The Bruins now turn the page and take on the Anaheim Ducks.
Anaheim took the first Bruins-Ducks matchup with a 3-2 final in overtime at TD Garden on Feb. 22. Now, Boston has a chance to split its regular season series with Anaheim as interim coach Joe Sacco aims to end the campaign on a strong note.
Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov, who played Sunday, won’t take the ice in Anaheim. Zadorov flew back to Boston to address a family matter, giving Parker Wotherspoon an opportunity to pair alongside Henri Jokiharju. Sacco provided no word regarding when Zadorov could rejoin the Bruins.
Racking up scoring chances has become Boston’s kryptonite throughout the losing streak as opponents have outscored the Bruins, 30-11, since the team’s last victory — over the Florida Panthers — on March 11. The Bruins only tallied one shot in the third period of Sunday night’s defeat, encapsulating the overarching ongoing issue that’s directed the team toward a crashing ending to the season.
The Bruins will play once more on the road, against the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night, before returning home. They’ll look to avoid a seventh consecutive loss before traveling to the Motor City, which would mark the organization’s first seven-game losing streak in Bruins history since 1996-97.
Here are the projected lines for Wednesday night’s matchup between Boston and Anaheim:
BOSTON BRUINS (30-33-9)
Marat Khusnutdinov — Casey Mittelstadt — David Pastrnak
Morgan Geekie — Pavel Zacha — Fabian Lysell
Cole Koepke — Elias Lindholm — Vinni Lettieri
Jakub Lauko — John Beecher — Patrick Brown
Parker Wotherspoon — Henri Jokiharju
Mason Lohrei — Andrew Peeke
Michael Callahan — Ian Mitchell
Joonas Korpisalo
ANAHEIM DUCKS (30-32-8)
Cutter Gauthier — Leo Carlsson — Alex Killorn
Frank Vatrano — Ryan Strome — Troy Terry
Trevor Zegras — Mason McTavish — Sam Colangelo
Jansen Harkins — Isac Lundestrom — Brett Leason
Jackson LaCombe — Radko Gudas
Olen Zellweger — Jacob Trouba
Pavel Mintyukov — Drew Helleson
John Gibson