Need to Know: Bruins at Lightning

TAMPA – The Bruins are set to take on the Lightning in the first game of the team’s Moms Trip on Thursday night as they aim to snap their five-game losing skid. Heading into the Atlantic Division showdown, the Black & Gold (20-18-5, 45 points) hold a one point over the Bolts (21-15-2, 44 points) for third place in the division, though Tampa has five games in hand.

The Lightning, who are in the East’s top wild card spot, enter Thursday’s game coming off a 3-2 win over Carolina on Tuesday that snapped a four-game losing streak. Nikita Kucherov paces Tampa with 56 points (17 goals, 39 assists) in 36 games, while Brayden Point leads the club with 24 goals.

“We’ve had a really good rivalry with Tampa for a while now,” said Bruins captain Brad Marchand. “But their team, we understand how dangerous they are. You can’t sleep on them. It’s a game you can’t be sloppy. They can make something out of nothing. Very dangerous, some of the best talent in the league.

“We have to bring our A-game if we want to compote with them. We know how close they are to us in the standings and the situation we’re in. It’s a good opportunity for us to kind of compete at a very high level and hopefully bring the best out of our group.”

Here’s everything else you need to know ahead of the 7 p.m. ET puck drop on NESN and 98.5 The Sports Hub:

The Moms on Their Side

The Bruins hope that having their moms along with them for this two-game swing through the Sunshine State will help them snap out of their recent 0-4-1 funk. Interim coach Joe Sacco said the strong vives surrounding morning skate were noticeable.

“There's a lot of energy right now in the morning,” said Sacco. “Hopefully that helps the guys. It’s a special time whenever you can get involved with a trip like this and have your moms around, they do so much for everybody growing up in this sport. They sacrifice a lot for their kids. I can speak about my mom, the same thing. It’s nice, it’s really nice to see the interaction between the player and the mom and see how they act in front of them. It’s a special time. Hopefully that helps them tonight.”

For Marchand, it is hardly his first go-around with family-member trips having become an NHL tradition over the past decade, but it remains a meaningful occasion for all who take part.

“It’s special. It’s always a treat to have our moms with us,” he said. “It’s such a unique experience. For them to be able to see our everyday life and everything they’ve helped us accomplish, our daily routine, and just have that time together. It’s rare to have 1-on-1 time at this stage of our life with our parents. To have it is pretty special. In a unique environment, it’s been a lot of fun.”

Geek Squad Assembles

In addition to the Bruins’ Moms Trip, there will also be another unique family moment on Thursday night as Morgan Geekie faces off against his younger brother Conor for the first time ever. With their mom, Tobi, in attendance – as well as a number of other family members – the Geekie clash will be made even more memorable.

“It's gonna be fun, it's nice we have [the family] here,” said Morgan Geekie. “Everyone came down almost for this. It’s gonna be a fun one. It’s our first time playing, we never really were close enough in age to play against each other. Normally we're on the same team trying to help each other out, but not tonight.”

Lightning forward Conor Geekie, who was the 11^th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, has posted 11 points (five goals, six assists) in 37 games during his rookie campaign with the Lightning.

“Leaps and bounds,” Morgan said of how his 20-year-old brother’s game has grown. “Anytime you go from junior to pro, it’s a big step and I remember when I did it, even though I went to the AHL. Just kind of the shellshocked, let alone being traded at the Draft and everything that went on during the summer, how he handled himself. It’s awesome to see the growth.

“Even the way he talks now, they have great guys in that locker room and the culture and leadership that has grown here has been really helpful to him. I’m not gonna take any credit. He’s grown a lot himself. This league kind of forces you to do that, but the guys in that room definitely helped him along too.”

Wait, There’s More

• Jeremy Swayman will get the start between the pipes for Boston.
• The Bruins made some tweaks to their power play units during the morning skate. David Pastrnak was with Mason Lohrei, Geekie, Pavel Zacha, and Justin Brazeau, while Marchand was on a unit with Charlie McAvoy, Oliver Wahlstrom, Elias Lindholm, and Charlie Coyle. “The thought process is we’re not going well, and we need to make some adjustments and we need to make some changes,” said Sacco. “Just can’t keep going the same way. I did it before, a few games ago. It didn’t last very long, I was probably too impatient but we’re gonna go back, we’re gonna split up the groups again tonight and give it a look, see how it goes.”
• Sacco also made some adjustments to the defense pairs with Nikita Zadorov pairing with McAvoy and Parker Wotherspoon with Brandon Carlo. “Just changing it up,” said Sacco. “Didn’t go as well as we would have liked last game. I think it just gives more flexibility for Charlie and Z…their top line is very productive 5-on-5 and on the power play. It gives us a better matchup internally for us.”
• Marchand on his mom, Lynn, taking part in a viral TikTok trend on the Bruins’ account on Wednesday. “I caught the video, I don’t think anyone’s missed that, she’s going viral right now,” he said. “She’s pretty proud of it. But she did a good job, she nailed it. It’s fun to see, great to see they’re having fun.

Thursday’s Projected Lineup

FORWARDS

Brad Marchand – Elias Lindholm – Charlie Coyle

Morgan Geekie – Pavel Zacha – David Pastrnak

Oliver Wahlstrom – Trent Frederic – Justin Brazeau

Cole Koepke – Johnny Beecher – Mark Kastelic

DEFENSEMEN

Nikita Zadorov – Charlie McAvoy

Parker Wotherspoon – Brandon Carlo

Mason Lohrei – Andrew Peeke

GOALIES

Jeremy Swayman

Joonas Korpisalo