Unofficially scheduled to be in net for Saturday's season series finale against the Canadiens, Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy has decided to scratch Bruins netminder Tuukka Rask due to a 'very minor' injury currently bothering the 30-year-old Rask.
"Talked to Tuukka [today], he's playing through a very, very minor injury, so it's like we'll give him the extra couple days [of rest]," Cassidy said in his pregame press conference. "It was a bit of a swing game, so it's Dobby tonight and Tuukka Tuesday is kind of the plan now .. The discussion was with Tuukka himself. Hey listen, he knows his body better than I do. It was like, 'Are you good to go or are better off [resting] because this is how we're laying it out.' And he said, 'No, let's get Anton in there and I'll use the extra time.'"
Cassidy did not get into the specifics of Rask's injury, of course, but it's perhaps worth noting that Rask has struggled of late, with a 4-3-0 record and .888 save percentage in his last seven games.
And with an 18-point playoff cushion, a night off against the lowly Canadiens is something the Black and Gold can undoubtedly afford.
"We're not in a dogfight like some of the other teams, so we can afford it," said Cassidy.
With Rask on the bench, Anton Khudobin gets the start in the B's net. Khudobin surrendered four goals on 24 shots in his last outing, a 4-1 loss to the Sabres on Feb. 25. Khudobin is 0-4-0 with an .865 save percentage (14 goals on 104 shots against) in four career starts against the Canadiens.
The Canadiens will counter Khudobin with Antti Niemi. The veteran Niemi captured a victory on Wednesday behind a 27-of-28 performance against the Islanders.
This is a fitting end to what has been an odd season series between the Bruins and Canadiens.
Not only did the almost century-old rivals avoid crossing paths until mid-January, but they then skated in three head-to-head showdowns in a seven-day stretch. It was a week that the Bruins seemed to embrace, for what it's worth, with three victories and 12-to-5 total scoreboard advantage over that span. That checks out, too, as the Bruins enter tonight's game with the fourth-most points in the NHL (and with the fewest games played, too) while the Habs arrive to the Hub with the sixth-fewest points in the league.
But these games have not felt like your traditional blowouts, even with the Black and Gold aligned for their first season sweep of the Canadiens in 23 years tonight.
"Every game seems to be a battle against them, despite what the standings are," B's center Riley Nash said Saturday. "It's obviously our biggest rival, and every game has a lot of emotion. They're gonna bring their best, we're gonna try to bring our best."
Ultimately, Nash believes it's the relentless approach the Bruins take with their four-line attack that's given them the edge in this season series, and what helped propelled them to victory in an eight-goal smackdown of the Penguins this past Thursday.
"I think over the course of each game, we've kind of established ourselves for the full 60 minutes and tried to impose our will as much as possible," Nash, currently filling in on the B's first line, noted. "If we can have an effort like we did against Pittsburgh where we start on time and establish ourselves, the play and results will speak for themselves."
The only lineup change to the 18 skaters in front of Khudobin's net will come with Danton Heinen's placement back in the Boston lineup after missing Thursday's game as a healthy scratch. Tommy Wingels will take a seat on level nine in his place.
Here are the expected lines and pairings for the Bruins…
Brad Marchand - Riley Nash - David Pastrnak
Jake DeBrusk - David Krejci - Rick Nash
Danton Heinen - David Backes - Brian Gionta
Tim Schaller - Sean Kuraly - Noel Acciari
Zdeno Chara - Charlie McAvoy
Torey Krug - Kevan Miller
Nick Holden - Brandon Carlo
Anton Khudobin
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