Need to Know: Bruins at Blackhawks

CHICAGO – The Bruins will be aiming to match the best start in franchise history on Tuesday night when they close out their first road trip of the season with a meeting against the Blackhawks at United Center. With a victory, Boston would improve to 6-0-0 and match the 1937-38 Bruins for the club record.

“The big thing is to keep our energy up,” said Bruins captain Brad Marchand. “It's always tough with the travel, different time zones, last game of a long road trip…stay focused on the little details. That’s usually when we thrive is when we take care of those little details.”

Marchand added that he’s been impressed with the way the Bruins have been able to find ways to win so far on the road trip, which has included victories in San Jose, Los Angeles, and Anaheim.

“Even last game wasn’t our best game, we found a way to pull it out with our depth at the end,” said Marchand. “It’s not always easy to go on these road trips early in the season when we’re still trying to find ways to build chemistry but the fact that we were able to have the road trip we’ve had so far, I’ve been impressed with that…the way we’re competing and finding ways to come together and finding ways to win.

“At the end of the day, these points are huge come the end of the season. It’s been good.”

Here’s everything else you need to know about the 8:30 p.m. ET puck drop on ESPN and 98.5 The Sports Hub:

Lucic Still Out

Milan Lucic took the ice for morning skate but was not able to stick it out once the session began. The winger took a shot off the foot on Saturday in Los Angeles and sat out the B’s win in Anaheim on Sunday night after not being able to make it through warmups.

“Not ready to go yet, still tender,” said Montgomery.

Boston’s bench boss said that through the first four games of the season, he was quite pleased with what the veteran winger provided both on the ice and in the dressing room.

“I think he’s been better than what I expected, to be honest,” said Montgomery. “He’s making plays, his leadership has been phenomenal on the bench. He brings energy to the locker room. He’s been great for us.”

Montgomery added that Lucic has replaced what the Bruins lost in Nick Foligno, who will suit up on the other side Tuesday night for Chicago.

“He’s replaced his energy, his leadership, and his ability to make plays from the fourth/third line,” said Montgomery.

Wait, There’s More

• Jeremy Swayman will make the start between the pipes for the Bruins.
• After missing Sunday’s game in Anaheim, Derek Forbort will re-enter the lineup and play alongside Kevin Shattenkirk.
• Montgomery said the Bruins defensemen, still without a goal as a group this season, need to be “more shot ready.” He added that the Bruins have not possessed the puck in the offensive zone as much this season so opportunities to shoot have been more limited. “We’re kind of one-and-done a lot, we’re not building our team game well enough yet,” said Montgomery.
• Montgomery said that there was a “confidence and a swagger” in Matt Poitras – who he called a “competitive little bugger” – during Tuesday’s morning skate after the rookie centerman potted his first two NHL goals on Sunday night. “It relaxes him,” he said. “You kind of get the feeling that, ‘Hey, not only can I play in the NHL, but I can play well in the NHL’…he’s not worrying about every little pass like he was previously, trying to be perfect.”

Opposing View

• After falling to the Bruins on Boston’s Opening Night at TD Garden, the Blackhawks (2-4-0) have gone 1-3-0, including back-to-back losses to Colorado and Vegas, who remain the other two unbeaten teams in the NHL.
• Corey Perry leads the Blackhawks with five points (two goals, three assists) in six games, while rookie sensation Connor Bedard ranks second with four points (two goals, two assists). Tyler Johnson paces Chicago with three goals.
• Former Bruins Foligno and Ryan Donato both have a goal and two assists in six games, while Taylor Hall has two assists in five games. Hall is considered week-to-week after re-aggravating a shoulder injury suffered against the B’s on Oct. 11.
• With Hall out, Foligno is expected to jump up to the Blackhawks’ top line with Bedard and Johnson.

Tuesday’s Projected Lineup

FORWARDS

Brad Marchand – Pavel Zacha – David Pastrnak

James van Riemsdyk – Charlie Coyle – Trent Frederic

Jake DeBrusk – Matt Poitras – Morgan Geekie

Jakub Lauko – Johnny Beecher – Patrick Brown

DEFENSEMEN

Matt Grzelcyk – Charlie McAvoy

Hampus Lindholm – Brandon Carlo

Derek Forbort – Kevin Shattenkirk

GOALIES

Jeremy Swayman

Linus Ullmark