The Boston Bruins will have another rookie in the lineup tonight in Tampa Bay, as winger Sean Kuraly is expected to make his NHL debut against the Lightning.
Kuraly will replace left winger Matt Beleskey on the much-maligned third line with Riley Nash and Jimmy Hayes. Beleskey, Nash, and Hayes have all been held pointless so far this season.
The Bruins will also get winger David Pastrnak back from his suspension. Pastrnak will be reunited with Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron on the top line.
The lines at the morning skate:
Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak
Spooner-Krejci-Czarnik
Kuraly-Nash-Hayes
Schaller-Moore-Acciari
Kuraly, 23, was originally drafted by San Jose in 2011. He was acquired by the Bruins last summer as part of the Martin Jones trade. This is Kuraly’s first professional season after four years at Miami (Ohio) University. Prior to getti
Claude Julien on scratching Matt Beleskey (0 pts and a minus-7): "We need better from him. We've done everything we can to help him out"
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) November 3, 2016
ng called up, he had one assist in eight games for AHL Providence.
The Bruins will have three other rookies in the lineup tonight: forwards Noel Acciari and Austin Czarnik, and defensemen Brandon Carlo. Two other rookies, d-man Rob O’Gara and forward Danton Heien, have played games for Boston but are currently in the AHL.
As for Beleskey, it’s not clear if he’s simply a healthy scratch or if he suffered an injury Tuesday in Florida, where he slid hard into the Bruins’ net on a back check:
Matt Beleskey goes hard into the Bruins net, braces his impact with his right forearm, doesn't look good https://t.co/4GmCbK2111
— Chris Abraham (@CrzyCanucklehed) November 2, 2016
The Bruins (5-4-0) have scored just nine goals in their last six games. They’ve won their last two thanks in large part to goalie Tuukka Rask.
Update:
Claude Julien on scratching Matt Beleskey (0 pts and a minus-7): "We need better from him. We've done everything we can to help him out"
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) November 3, 2016