Need to Know: Bruins vs. Panthers

BOSTON - The Bruins are to set to commence the final week of the regular season on Tuesday night as they host the league-leading Florida Panthers at TD Garden. The teams have not met since the last week of October when they played their first two matchups of the season over a four-day span.
The teams split the games with the Panthers winning the first, 4-1, in Sunrise on Oct. 27 and the Bruins taking the second, 3-2, in a shootout on Causeway Street on Oct. 30.

Much has changed for both teams, of course, since they last met some six months ago, and with a potential playoff showdown on the horizon, Bruce Cassidy is eager to see how the Bruins and Panthers stack up at this stage of the season.
"This is the most explosive offensive team in the NHL," said Cassidy, "so this will be a good measure for where our checking game is at this point."
Here's everything else you need to know ahead of the 7 p.m. puck drop on NESN+ and 98.5 The Sports Hub:

Lindholm, Pastrnak Back In

After sitting out Sunday's win in Montreal as part of their return to play progression, Hampus Lindholm and David Pastrnak will be back in the lineup against the Panthers. Lindholm, who missed seven games after suffering a lower-body injury in Detroit on April 5, said he felt no ill effects from his return to the lineup on Saturday afternoon against the Rangers.
"I feel like as a player, you always want to get back out there as quickly as you can," said Lindholm, who played a team-high 24:41 in the B's win over New York. "I think the training has been good. It just kind of gives me a timeline and I stick to it. I felt pretty good. It was nice to be back out there against a very good team. It was nice to get thrown in the fire again and just being able to play with the guys is a good feeling.
"I think anytime you can get a few of those good games in your body before it really starts [with the playoffs], it's always good. But it's something [where] you have to do what's best for the body, but it ended up being perfect now."

DeBrusk Nominated for Masterton

On Monday, the National Hockey League announced the 32 nominees for the 2022 Bill Masterton Trophy, which is awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to the game. Jake DeBrusk was named the Bruins' nominee, as selected by the Boston chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, which cited DeBrusk's ability to perform this season despite a trade request that was made public last fall and a challenging 2020-21 campaign.
Last season, the winger posted just five goals and 14 points in 41 games, the lowest totals of career and also talked openly earlier this year about the toll last season's COVID-19 restrictions took on him.
The 25-year-old, however, has rebounded with a strong second half in 2021-22, while thriving alongside Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron on Boston's top line. Through a career-high 74 games, DeBrusk has posted 23 goals - the second-highest total of his career - and 39 points.
"It's obviously something I'm very thankful for," DeBrusk said of the nomination. "It's one of those things, you look at the names on the list and have a lot of respect for what those guys have done. It was a cool feeling…
"There are still three games to go. But [2020-21] was a tough year for everyone, myself included. This year, obviously, with everything else, it was a lot. But I give a lot of credit to my teammates and everyone here that kept it pretty tight knit and for making things feel pretty normal. I give lots of credit to the guys in the room for helping me steer the ship the right way."

Opposing View

The Panthers come to town fresh off an 8-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday night, a defeat that ended an impressive 13-game winning streak. Florida sits atop the NHL standings with 120 points and a 57-16-6 record. The 120 points and 57 victories are both the most in franchise history, surpassing the previous high marks of 103 points and 47 wins set in 2015-16.
Jonathan Huberdeau paces the Panthers with 115 points in 79 games this season, while Aleksander Barkov leads the club with 39 goals in just 66 games. Sam Reinhart (31-48-79), Aaron Ekblad (15-42-57), Anthony Duclair (31-25-56), and Carter Verhaeghe (22-31-53) have also all surpassed the 50-point plateau.
Ekblad, however, remains on injured reserve after suffering a leg injury on March 18. Verhaeghe, who had been day-to-day, will return to the lineup on Tuesday night, as will former Bruins centerman Joe Thornton.
Top-line winger Mason Marchment, who has compiled career-highs in games (54), goals (18), assists (29), and points (47) this season, will sit out for maintenance. Forward Ryan Lomberg is also out as he serves a one-game suspension for instigating.
Sergei Bobrovsky will get the start in goal. The netminder is 39-6-3 with a 2.66 goals against average and .912 save percentage this season.
Florida leads the league in goals per game (4.16) and ranks seventh on the power play (24.2%). The Panthers are 12th in goals against per game (2.89) and 17 on the penalty kill (79.3%).

Tuesday's Projected Lineup

FORWARDS
Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - Jake DeBrusk
Taylor Hall - Erik Haula - David Pastrnak
Trent Frederic - Charlie Coyle - Craig Smith
Nick Foligno - Tomas Nosek - Curtis Lazar

DEFENSEMEN
Hampus Lindholm - Charlie McAvoy
Matt Grzelcyk - Brandon Carlo
Derek Forbort - Connor Clifton
GOALIES
Linus Ullmark
Jeremy Swayman