Need to Know: Bruins at Devils

NEWARK - After five long months, the Bruins are finally set to return to the ice.
The Black & Gold will open up the 2020-21 campaign on Thursday night against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center. It is the first of two games in Newark to open up the new season.
"Looking forward to it. Been a long time coming," said Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron. "Since the bubble, it's been a long offseason. That being said, it's a bit of a shorter camp so it's great to be able to get going right away and get on the road and start playing some games. A little different with the fact that we haven't had preseason.
"That being said, I thought the intensity and the energy level in scrimmages were really good, really high. But we all know it might take a little adjustment early on. I think we're all feeling good and looking forward to it."

With an abbreviated 56-game schedule and just four playoff spots available in each division, the Bruins know that a strong start will be crucial to their success this season. It will be no easy task, however, with David Pastrnak still sidelined by offseason hip surgery and the B's back end in flux after the departures of Zdeno Chara and Torey Krug via free agency.
"It's a great challenge for us," said Bergeron. "I guess the positive out of it is all the guys that are still on the back end or the new young players, they've been around for a few years now. They know the system, they know us as players. I feel like that transition might be a little easier for them. But that being said, we all need to get together and find ways to be good right away. There's no question about that.
"With a shortened season and lots of games, the start is gonna be really important…we're definitely aware of that but we also know that there is gonna be some new lines, some new players and we need to make sure we find some chemistry, lots of communication and be ready for that and make sure we stay the course during that time."

Marchand Feels Good

Brad Marchand was a full participant in morning skate and should be in the lineup for Opening Night roughly four months after undergoing offseason hernia surgery, saying, "I'm ready to go. I'm excited." Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy officially termed him as a game-time decision.
"I just started skating a little more recently. First two and a half months after we finished I couldn't do anything at all. Big build up to be back to where I am," said Marchand, who took a couple of days off during training camp to manage himself. "Still behind a little bit, but I think that the way that it ramped up so quickly having a 10-day preseason, it would be a lot for my legs and groins and hips and all that. More just trying to manage soreness from coming back.
"It's one thing to skate by yourself, but the first time you're really skating with other guys in training camp, that level is so much higher and so much harder, just a little bit that I had to manage to make sure that I could play tonight. Last thing I wanted to do was go through camp and then miss a few games where I thought I could be ready to play."
Cassidy also indicated that Craig Smith (lower-body) is a game-time decision for the opener after tweaking something earlier in the week. Trent Frederic would enter the lineup if either Smith or Marchand were unable to play.
"Depending on the lineup, we have a plan in place," said Cassidy. "We want to see what he can do as well. I don't want to call it a platoon, but a situation where we're gonna use. We're not gonna let him sit for extended periods of time."

A Cautious Approach

While the NHL's bubble proved to be impenetrable over the summer, there remains plenty of risk with the COVID-19 pandemic still raging. In recent days, the league announced 17 players from the Dallas Stars had tested positive for the virus, forcing the postponement of their first three games.
The Bruins' TD Garden roommates, the Boston Celtics, have been dealing with COVID-19 issues of their own, leading to the postponement of their last three games. Such problems are almost inevitable given the uncontrolled spread of the virus across the United States, as well as the lack of a bubble and the increased travel around the country.
As such, the Black & Gold are taking every precaution possible to prevent similar scenarios within their dressing room.
"I've seen what's been going on in basketball, I've seen it in football as well, and also a little bit in baseball," said Bergeron. "Now that we're traveling, it's definitely different than what we experienced in the bubble so it's gonna be on us as players to make sure we make this thing work and we're cautious and careful and doing the right things.
"There's a lot of protocols already in place. There's been meetings about what we can and cannot do, how we should handle things. It's about sending reminders to guys and talking to them and making sure that we're doing the right thing and that we realize that it's a big difference."

A Sense of Normalcy

There is nothing normal about the state of the world these days, but the start of the hockey season is bringing back a somewhat regular routine - which is very much welcome.
"There might be some dust on the suit, haven't had my suits out," joked Sean Kuraly. "A welcome sight [the other] night when all my stuff was dry cleaned. I guess I did it ahead of schedule, was happy about that. It just feels normal…feels like the NHL that we've come to know. This is kind of the first step back toward a normal feeling, a normal-ish season."

Opposing View

The Devils are led by new general manager Tom Fitzgerald and new head coach Lindy Ruff, the veteran bench boss who was an assistant with the New York Rangers for the last three seasons. New Jersey finished last in the Metropolitan Division in 2019-20, posting a 28-29-12 record with 68 points in 69 games.
They did not qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs last summer, meaning Thursday night's tilt against the Bruins will be the Devils' first game since March 10.
The Devils were paced last season by veteran forward Kyle Palmieri, who led the club with 25 goals and 45 points in 65 games. First-year NHLer Nikita Gusev ranked second with 44 points (13 goals, 31 assists), while former No. 1 overall pick Nico Hischier was third with 36 points (14 goals, 22 assists).
Hischier is still recovering from an offseason injury and will not play in the opener.
Fellow former first overall pick Jack Hughes will be looking to take the next step after notching 21 points (7 goals, 14 assists) in 61 games during his rookie season.
The Devils added Ryan Murray (trade from Columbus), Dmitry Kulikov (free agency), and Sami Vatanen (free agency) to a back end that already includes P.K. Subban, Damon Severson, and Will Butcher.
In goal, the Devils will be adjusting on the fly after the unexpected retirement of Corey Crawford in recent days. New Jersey will look to Mackenzie Blackwood (22-14-8, .915 save %, 2.77 GAA last season) to carry the load between the pipes.
"As far as two games in a row against the same team, sort of reminds me of college. I loved it," Bruins winger Anders Bjork said of the season-opening two-game set against the Devils. "A lot of the college guys will say the same thing, they love playing the same team twice in a row because it heats up the rivalry a little bit and things carry over."

Wait, There's More

• Rookie Jack Studnicka will start the season filling in for David Pastrnak as the right wing on Boston's top line alongside Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. "He was flying around…excited to see what he's gonna bring to the table," said Marchand. "We know he's gonna be a great player for this team for a long time. He's got an opportunity now. That's how it works. He's earned his time and his position so we're excited to see what he can do."
• In its first such update of the 2020-21 season, the NHL provided a list of players unavailable due to COVID-19 protocols. Winger Karson Kuhlman was the only Bruin on the list. Kuhlman practiced - in a maroon non-contact jersey - on Tuesday for the first time since camp began.
• Par Lindholm cleared waivers on Thursday and will either return to the main roster or be placed on the taxi squad. "Donny [Sweeney] will make that decision," said Cassidy. "He traveled with us, went on the ice once he found out he cleared...one way or the other, he'll be available to us as needed."

Thursday's Projected Lineup

Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - Jack Studnicka
Jake DeBrusk - David Krejci - Ondrej Kase
Nick Ritchie - Charlie Coyle - Craig Smith/Trent Frederic
Anders Bjork - Sean Kuraly - Chris Wagner
Jeremy Lauzon - Charlie McAvoy
Matt Grzelcyk - Brandon Carlo
Jakub Zboril - Kevan Miller
Tuukka Rask
Jaroslav Halak