Jim McBride of the Boston Globe just reported that Jeremy Swayman will start for the Bruins tonight against the Golden Knights at TD Garden.
Michael DiPietro is the other goalie who took the ice at the morning skate. Boston is 10-4-1 and sitting first in the Atlantic, so the crease decision carries real weight on a Monday night.
McBride noted that Swayman gets the net tonight against Vegas at TD Garden.
These are Monday morning skate lines, and they could change before puck drop. Kuraly skated as an extra, while Clifton and Brunet formed the other defense pair.
Swayman has played 11 games this season, and DiPietro has made four starts. DiPietro's first NHL shutout came in a 6-0 win over the Predators, so the backup has given the Bruins a real reason to trust him.
Still, tonight belongs to Swayman, and the Bruins are in good shape at home. They are 6-1-0 at TD Garden and won their last game 5-4 in overtime against Chicago on Saturday.
What the Bruins lines say about Sturm's trust
The top line is the one to watch. Peterka, Zacha and David Pastrnak stay together, and Pastrnak leads the team with 19 points.
Sturm's reliance on that group was the subject of his heavy use of Pastrnak's line after the loss in Carolina. Nothing in these skate lines suggests he is backing off.
The third line deserves attention too. Elias Lindholm centers Mittelstadt and James Hagens, and the 19-year-old has 11 points in 15 games. Hagens recently credited Lindholm for teaching him plenty, and that pairing now gets a real test against a Vegas team that has lost its last game.
Vegas sits 9-5-1 and is second in the Pacific. The Golden Knights are 3-2-1 on the road, so Boston will not get an easy night, even with the crowd behind it.
Whether Sturm tweaks anything at the last minute will show up when the lines are set for puck drop tonight.
