Boston Bruins release line combinations for key matchup vs. Canes

Things didn't go according to plan last night for the Boston Bruins in sunny Florida, as the undefeated Florida Panthers were able to remain so thanks to a 4-1 victory over their visitors. 

For head coach Bruce Cassidy, it wasn't a case of being "dominated", but just that simply they were outplayed. 

“We got outplayed a little,” Cassidy said. “It’s not like it was one team dominated. I thought we each had our way in a period. The third, they did what they had to do to put the game away. We did have a push, but it came down to a couple of plays in each end where they got a save or they finished or the opposite.”

"All of the things we did well in the first period, specifically managing the puck against a good offensive team, we did the exact opposite in the second. It started right away. It snowballed in the second period and that’s where it got away from us,” he continued. “Below the goal line breakouts, we got pinned in our own end, forced some plays, mismanaged some pucks, and on the power play our skill guys on their backhand basically turning pucks over. Then we got line changes and chasing the game, and that’s where it got away from us. They finished a little better and they got a little bit better goaltender, however, you want to break it down. They ended up being a little better in a pretty tight game.”

Tonight, they put their skill to the test against another undefeated NHL squad in the Carolina Hurricanes, who are led in goal by former Toronto Maple Leafs net minder Frederik Andersen. Below are Boston's anticipated line combinations: 

Forwards:

Brad Marchand – Patrice Bergeron – David Pastrnak

Taylor Hall – Jack Studnicka – Charlie Coyle

Jake DeBrusk – Erik Haula – Karson Kuhlman

Trent Frederic – Tomáš Nosek – Curtis Lazar

Defense:

Matt Grzelcyk – Charlie McAvoy

Mike Reilly – Brandon Carlo

Derek Forbort – John Moore

Meanwhile, Jeremy Swayman will be getting the nod in net tonight, currently sporting a 1-1 record with a 3.02 goals against average and a .885 save percentage. 

Tonight's game will begin at 7:00 PM EST from PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC. (NESN, BSSO)