Bergeron played 21:25 TOI in the Bruins shootout loss to the Lightning on Thursday, so he must have played through a lower-body issue. The Bruins No.1 centre will accompany the team to Toronto and anticipates playing against the Maple Leafs. He has had a terrific start to the season, scoring two goals with five assists (seven points) in seven games.
Zadorov was a healthy scratch in Pittsburgh on Wednesday but will play Friday in Florida. Mark Barberio is the likely candidate to come out of the lineup to make room for Zadorov, who has one goal, one assist, a plus-3 rating, 15 PIMS and seven shots in five games this season.
Rask stopped all 31 of the shots that he faced in the Bruins shutout win over the Devils last Saturday. Rask and Jaroslav Halak continue to split time and both have been outstanding. Rask comes into Thursday’s game at 3-0-0 with a 1.33 GAA, .957 SV% and one shutout in three games. Tonight he faces the Lightning, who he was 1-3-0 with a 3.55 GAA and .860 SV% in four games against last season.
Krejci was hurt in Monday’s game against the Ducks and will miss Thursday’s game with an upper-body injury. Par Lindholm will draw into the lineup to replace Krejci and Charlie Coyle will move up to the second line. Krejci is day-to-day.
Krejci left Monday’s game against the Ducks after playing just 4:43 TOI and did not return. He wasn’t on the ice for Wednesday’s session but head coach Bruce Cassidy believes there’s still a chance that he suits up vs. the Lightning. Charlie Coyle will move up to the second line if Krejci is unavailable.
Despite not losing a game this season and Zadorov scoring his first goal on Monday, he will come out of the lineup on Wednesday. Zadorov will be replaced by Mark Barberio.
Korpisalo allowed two goals on 32 shots in the Blue Jackets’ win in Carolina last Saturday. After a tough start to the season vs. Toronto, Korpisalo has played well in his last three starts, going 2-1-0 while stopping 66 of the 73 shots (.904 SV%) that he has faced. Tonight he takes on a Dallas team that ranks dead last in the NHL in goal-scoring (1.86 GF/gm).
Wahlstrom is a 6-foot-2, 209 lbs. winger who was selected in the first-round (No.11 overall) of 2018. He had 19 points (8G / 11A) in 36 games as a freshman at Boston College before turning pro and joining the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, where he has six points (3G / 3A) in nine AHL games. He is expected to bounce around the lineup in his debut but is expected to skate with Mathew Barzal at times.
Wahlstrom was the No.11 pick in the 2018 draft and seems poised to make his NHL debut on Monday afternoon. The 19-year-old winger has likely been recalled to replace Jordan Eberle, who was hurt in Saturday’s win. Wahlstrom has one goal and two assists in four AHL games, giving him six points (3G / 3A) in nine career AHL games.
Rask allowed three goals on 34 shots in the Bruins win in Vegas on Tuesday. Rask has opened the season with back-to-back wins, stopping 59 of the 63 shots (.937 SV%) that he has faced. Jaroslav Halak has played well too, but the Bruins will come back to Rask vs. a Devils team that has stumbled out of the gate.
Korpisalo stopped 15 of the 18 shots that he faced in the Blue Jackets 4-3 overtime win over the Sabres on Monday. Korpisalo wasn’t busy but he did enough to out-duel Linus Ullmark on the other end. Dating back to the start of last season, Korpisalo is 5-5-1 with a .876 SV% in his last 12 starts at Nationwide Arena. Tonight he gets a Ducks team that are winning games but are averaging just 2.25 goals per game.
Rask stopped 28 of 29 shots in the Flames win in Dallas on opening night. Jaroslav Halak started Saturday in Arizona, but Rask will go tonight in Vegas. The veteran was 12-7-3 with a 2.65 GAA and 912 SV% on the road last year but draws a terrible matchup tonight. The Golden Knights dominated the Sharks in their first two games of the season, averaging 4.50 goals for/per game on the young season.
Korpisalo allowed four goals on 29 shots in the Blue Jackets loss to the Maple Leafs on Friday. Elvis Merzlikins was torched in the second game of the Blue Jackets back-to-back, so head coach John Tortorella will come back to Korpisalo on Monday. The Sabres have had a nice start to the season, winning each of their first two games while outscoring their opponents 10-3.
With Sergei Bobrovsky bolting for Florida in free agency, Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins as Columbus’ goaltending tandem. In 38 starts (45 games) over the last two seasons, Korpisalo has gone 18-15-4 with an ugly 3.11 GAA and .897 SV%. It could be a tough season for Korpisalo and the Blue Jackets and an opening night matchup with Toronto should force him to your fantasy benches.
Johnson will get a huge opportunity early in the season, as he’s set to centre Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov on Thursday. Johnson skated between the dynamic duo on Wednesday and will also skate on the top power-play unit while Brayden Point is sidelined.
Krejci was a full participant at practice on Wednesday, which is a great sign for his availability for Thursday’s season opener. Monitor his status during tomorrow’s morning skate, but things are trending in the right direction for the veteran pivot.
Johnson missed Monday’s practice with the undisclosed injury that he suffered in Saturday’s preseason game, but head coach Jon Cooper is “hopeful” that he will play on Thursday. Monitor Johnson’s status over the next few days, but the sudden return of Brayden Point decreases Johnson’s fantasy value.
Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy said that Rask is pencilled in for 50-to-55 starts this season and that will start in Dallas on Thursday. Rask was 27-13-5 with a 2.48 GAA, .912 SV% and four shutouts in 46 games last season, including going 1-0-1 with a 0.95 GAA and .968 SV% in two games vs. Dallas.
