Tonight's Officials
Referees Wes McCauley (4), Ghislain Hebert (22)
Linesmen Jonny Murray (95), Brian Murphy (93)
Ntl. Anthem Todd Angilly
TONIGHT’S GAME - The Bruins host the Jets tonight in the 1st of 2 games between these teams this season and the only meeting of the season series at TD Garden … The Bruins are 27-17-5 this season and are 17-7-1 on home ice … They are 5-2-1 vs. Central Division opponents and are 11-4-3 vs. Western Conference foes. - They are returning tonight from a 9-day break encompassing their bye week and All-Star break following their last game on 1/19 … They will play the remaining 33 games on their schedule (16 home/17 road) over a 68-day span between tonight & 4/6. - The Bruins will conclude their January schedule hosting PHI on 1/29 before facing the Capitals in WSH on 2/3.
MILESTONES APPROACHING - Trent Frederic is looking to play his 1st NHL game after his recall yesterday from Providence/AHL. - David Backes is 2 games shy of his 900th NHL game. - Brandon Carlo is 2 games short of his 200th NHL game. - Patrice Bergeron is 4 games shy of his 1,000th NHL game. - Zdeno Chara is 2 goals shy of his 200th NHL goal … He will become just the 21st defenseman in NHL history to reach that milestone.
INJURIES (Total man-games lost in 2018-19: 163)
Joakim Nordstrom: Non-displaced fibula fracture suffered 1/1 vs CHI
Tuukka Rask: In concussion protocol after suffering injury 1/19 vs NYR
The nine-day All-Star break resulted in quite a revolving door for the Boston Bruins.
When the spinning ended, the Bruins brought up center Trent Frederic, their 2016 first-round draft pick, plus left winger Peter Cehlarik and goalie Zane McIntyre from their AHL Providence farm team.
Frederic, 20, likely will make his NHL debut Tuesday night when Boston returns from the break to face the visiting Winnipeg Jets.
McIntyre's summons was on an emergency basis because No. 1 goalie Tuukka Rask was placed on injured reserve, having sustained a concussion on Jan. 19.
"I don't think it's long-term," coach Bruce Cassidy said of Rask's time on the sideline. "He won't play (Tuesday). Hopefully gets on the ice (Tuesday). That's kind of the plan where he's at. Obviously he's day-to-day right now. It will be his call."
Until Rask returns, Jaroslav Halak will take the starter's role for the Bruins, who went into the break with a 2-3-1 slump that dropped them into an Eastern Conference wild-card spot.
The Bruins also sent Ryan Donato and Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson to Providence.
Frederic, a 20-year-old St. Louis native, has played in 37 games for Providence in his first full professional campaign, and he has 10 goals and seven assists.
"Probably the last month I thought I've been playing well, pretty strong," said Frederic. "I'm happy to be here. It's a dream come true, for sure."
Based on Monday's practice, Frederic will skate at center on the third line with Danton Heinen and David Backes. His arrival will provide a chance for the Bruins to assess whether they must acquire a third-line center for the stretch drive.
"What I've heard about Frederic is this past weekend he had a real good weekend," Cassidy said of the forward who missed nearly a month earlier this season due to a concussion. "(He's) playing assertive hockey, some of the best hockey he's played all year.
"There was a plan all along at the start of the year, to take a look at him at some point. We didn't know when that point would be. Some of that is how are the guys doing here, then there was an injury that set him back a little bit. He's healthy and playing well now."
The Central Division-leading Jets arrive on the heels of a 3-1 loss at Philadelphia on Monday night to kick off a busy stretch of 11 games in 20 days. Winnipeg has lost two straight overall and four of its past five road contests.
"One of those games," Winnipeg defenseman Josh Morrissey said of the loss to the Flyers. "We have to turn the page. We play right away against a great team in Boston. We have to be ready to go."
Even so, the Jets know their long-term plans -- to contend for a Stanley Cup.
"We're in a good position. We put ourselves in a good position," Jets captain Blake Wheeler said. "We were playing some of our best hockey going into the break, and there's some things to be excited about with that, so we'll continue to try to get better every single day and work towards playing our best hockey towards the end of the season and see where that puts us."
The Jets plan to start Connor Hellebuyck in goal on Tuesday and expect defenseman Ben Chiarot back in action after he sat out the past four games due to a lower-body injury. However, defenseman Dustin Byfuglien will remain sidelined because of an ankle injury.
Laurent Brossoit got the call in place of Hellebuyck on Monday and saved 28 of the 31 shots he faced.
or better yet, Acciari but I`m not sure even if the B`s acquired a big name at the deadline that Butch wouldn`t just continue to roll out NA for his 10-15 mins a night
