Need to Know: Bruins vs. Red Wings

BOSTON – The Bruins will meet their first Eastern Conference opponent of the season on Saturday night as they welcome the Detroit Red Wings to TD Garden for an Original Six matchup. Boston will also be holding its first Centennial Era Night celebrating The Early Years (1924-59).

“Another Original Six team, good matchup,” said Charlie Coyle. “Detroit's been a really good team this year. They've only gotten better, so they'll be a really good test to face tonight. We've got to be ready to go."

After surrendering a two-goal lead in the final minutes on Thursday night against Anaheim that resulted in their first loss of the season, the Bruins are also aiming for a bounce back effort.

"We're just ready to go, looking forward to the next challenge,” said Coyle. “You always want to get back in the saddle and right the ship. It's an opportunity to do it tonight.”

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

Steen Recalled

The Bruins placed Milan Lucic on long-term injured reserve on Saturday morning and recalled Oskar Steen from Providence. Coach Jim Montgomery said Lucic is still expected to miss “a couple weeks at the minimum.”

Steen, meanwhile, has been off to a strong start with the P-Bruins, notching five points (three goals, two assists) in five games. The 25-year-old also performed well during training camp and was one of Boston’s final cuts.

“Really good camp, just playing fast and going to hard areas, playing inside the dots, a real strength of his,” said Montgomery. “Talking to the staff down in Providence, [head coach] Ryan Mougenel] specifically, he said that he's been really impactful the last three games.

“When you bring guys up, you want guys feeling good about their games. They come here with confidence and he's a confident player right now.”

Steen, of course, is no stranger to Boston having played 26 games with the Bruins over the past three seasons. As such, the winger is confident that his experience will help him adjust more smoothly this time around.

“It's almost the same thing. Just going up and doing my things and trying to win hockey games up here,” said Steen, who played just three games with Boston last season after suiting up for 20 in 2021-22.

“I know what I have to do. And I feel much more comfortable every time I get out there and I try to bring my good hockey that I have played so far, so that's what I'm aiming for.”

Steen acknowledged that he “was disappointed” when he was assigned to Providence ahead of the opener but tried to use it as motivation to return to the big club.

“Felt very good during the camp and so far during the season,” he said. “I felt like I was very close to making the team and I felt I had a really good camp.

“I brought that energy [to Providence] and my game has been really good lately, so I'm just trying to build on that.  It's just, like, keep going and I was trying to just think that I will be back here soon and now I am. That was my goal.”

Montgomery said the Bruins have “some questionable players” for Saturday night, so he did not reveal exactly where Steen would slot into the lineup. Boston’s bench boss did say, however, that if everyone was able to play Jesper Boqvist would draw out of the lineup.

“I think there's more opportunity to gain ice time this year than there was last year just because of the way we are,” said Montgomery. “We're younger, we're a little rawer, which tends to lead to either really good performances or sometimes not as good. And that also means there's inconsistency.

“The opportunity to come in here and gain minutes is more readily available than I think it was last year.”

Opposing View

The Red Wings are off to a strong 5-2-1 start, though they have dropped two consecutive contests – 5-4 in overtime against Seattle on Tuesday and a 4-1 against Winnipeg on Thursday.

Dylan Larkin (4-11—15) and Alex DeBrincat (9-4—13) have been a dynamic duo for Detroit, combining for 28 points in eight games, as they rank second and third, respectively, in the league scoring race. DeBrincat leads the NHL in goals. The Red Wings rank second in the NHL in goals per game (4.38).

“They’ve been dynamite – 5-on-5 and the power play,” said Montgomery. “We’ve got to stay out of the box tonight and our rush defense and our reads and our defensemen having good gaps is going to be really important for us to have success.

“They’re one of the best offensive teams in the league in the first 10 games or so and we have to respect how good they are offensively and we have to get to our identity of hanging onto pucks in the offensive zone and trying to get to the net front.”

Detroit’s defense corps has also been contributing offensively as Shayne Gostisbehere (3-6—9) and Mo Seider (1-7—8) rank third and fourth, respectively, in team scoring.

Wait, There’s More

• Jeremy Swayman will get the start between the pipes for the Bruins.
• Montgomery on if he thinks teams are now targeting Matt Poitras: “Yeah, I do. And I think you saw that even in the Chicago game. Second time we play a team, they're more aware of who he is. In Anaheim, obviously, his two goals led us to victory, so they were very aware and they, obviously, made a point of making it harder on him…he's answered every challenge so well so far. I mean, he's a hockey player. I think he naturally competes. And I think anyone that is a natural competitor is going to find a way. And he seems to find a way. He took that cross-check…[Max] Jones went after him early in the first behind the net, I believe it was. And then he makes that great play in the second.”
• Montgomery on if he has spoken to Jake DeBrusk, who has yet to score a goal this season: “I actually spoke to him [Friday], see where his mindset’s at…when a player talks to you, a lot of times they indirectly tell you what they’re thinking even if they don’t know they’re doing it. That’s why I think it’s really important to listen. There’s some hesitancy in the way he was talking and there’s hesitancy in his game. We showed him some clips of what makes him a real good player. Really it’s more about talking about what makes him a real good player because he is. In Anaheim in the third period, I thought he took the game over with his feet and tenaciousness on the puck.”