With Frederic Brunet drawing back into Boston's lineup, Jonathan Aspirot will be the odd man out vs. Pittsburgh and will be a healthy scratch on Thursday. Aspirot has appeared in six games this season but has yet to pick up a point while averaging just 15:55 TOI.
Brunet has been a healthy scratch for the previous two games but will draw back into the lineup on Thursday as Boston heads to Pittsburgh. The 23-year-old rookie has looked solid during his first ten games this season, with a goal, four points and eight SOG.
Kuraly was a healthy scratch for Boston's previous contest, but with Matt Poitras unable to dress due to an upper-body injury, Kuraly will dress for his sixth game of the season on Thursday. The 33-year-old is in his 11th NHL season but has yet to pick up a point in five games while averaging 11:57 TOI.
Poitras has a chance to play on Thursday but ultimately decided to play it safe vs. Pittsburgh due to a broken nose. The 22-year-old is travelling with Boston on their road trip and is expected to be back soon. He has four goals and seven points in 12 games this season despite averaging just 9:33 TOI.
DiPietro will get his second start in Boston's last three games on Thursday as he takes the crease in Pittsburgh for his fifth appearance of the season. The 27-year-old backup has looked incredible when called upon this season, with his 3-1-0 record, 2.26 GAA and .929 SV%. He will head to Pittsburgh to take on the struggling Penguins, who are in the midst of a three game losing streak.
Poitras played only 3:13 of ice time in Monday's 3-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights and left the game with an upper-body injury. He missed practice Tuesday but returned Wednesday and could be an option for Thursday's game against the Vegas Golden Knights. The 22-year-old has seven points (4G / 3A) in 12 games this season.
Poitras played only 3:13 of ice time in yesterday's 3-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights, leaving the game with an upper-body injury. He missed practice Tuesday, and it is unclear whether he will be available when Boston returns to action Thursday. The 22-year-old has seven points (4G / 3A) in 12 games this season.
The Bruins lead the Atlantic Division with a 10-4-1 record, largely thanks to Jeremy Swayman's stellar play. That said, Swayman is coming off his worst performance of this season, allowing four goals on 18 shots (.778 SV%) in a 4-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues. The 27-year-old American goalie has a 2.35 GAA and .912 SV% in 11 games this season (7-3-1). The Bruins enter Monday's outing as slight +104 home underdogs against a Vegas Golden Knights team that has scored two or fewer goals in four of their last five games (1-3-1).
Kuraly played his first game in two weeks on Saturday, recording zero points in 8:45 time-on-ice, and will return to the sidelines on Monday. Matthew Poitras will enter the lineup as Kuraly's replacement.
Poitras did not play in Boston's previous game, but will return to the lineup on Wednesday against the Vegas Golden Knights. After only playing three games with Boston last season, the 22-year-old Poitras is off to a solid start in 2026-27, with seven points (3G / 4A) in 11 games.
Dipietro stopped all 28 shots that he faced to earn his first career shutout vs. Nashville on October 22nd. Jeremy Swayman started the last three games, but DiPietro will make his fourth start of the season vs. Chicago. He's been excellent so far, stopping 80 of the 85 shots (.941 SV%) that he's faced. He's arguably the best streaming option available on Saturday.
Frederic Brunet will be a healthy scratch on Thursday, allowing Clifton to re-enter the lineup. The 31-year-old Clifton is averaging 20:38 time-on-ice, recording one assist and 13 hits in six games this season.
