After beating the Montreal Canadiens in overtime Thursday night, the Boston Bruins return to the TD Garden to host the Philadelphia Flyers Saturday night (March 16). In this edition of Bruins News & Rumors, there will be a ceremony ahead of the game against the Flyers, Jake DeBrusk is relieved to still be wearing the Black and Gold, a prospect had an impressive return to the lineup against Montreal and more.
Bruins to Honor James van Riemsdyk vs. Philadelphia
Before the puck drops between the Bruins and Flyers, veteran James van Riemsdyk will be honored for his 1,000th career game on March 5 in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers at home. Before that game, the organization announced that they were going to honor him for the game against his former team.
Following the morning skate, van Riemsdyk said that he is going to have nearly 80 friends, family, former coaches, and teammates all included. Going into the game against Philadelphia, he has 311 goals and 318 assists in his career, including 11 goals and 27 assists this season for the Bruins.
Bruins Lineup Changes vs. Flyers
The Bruins will have a different-looking lineup against the Flyers than the one they had against the Canadiens. Matt Grzelcyk and van Riemsdyk both missed the game with an illness and both are expected back in. Jakub Lauko, Mason Lohrei, and Kevin Shattenkirk are all going to be out of the lineup against Philadelphia, with second-year head coach Jim Montgomery saying that some forwards are dealing with an illness going through the locker room or banged up. Lohrei and Shattenkirk are healthy scratches. Jeremy Swayman will get the start in the net.
Jake DeBrusk is Happy to Still Be in Boston
If there is one player in the Bruins locker room who is happy that the trade deadline passes every year and he’s still here, it’s DeBrusk. The 14th overall pick in the 2015 Entry Draft seems to have his name in rumors leading up to the deadline, but as was the case in the previous season, the deadline came and went with him still wearing the Spoked-B.
“I’ve been through it before, so no, obviously I think that everybody in this room can agree it’s a sense of relief and where you’re going to be. Obviously you see guys come in, they’re super excited and it’s just that time of year again, right? So obviously it seems like there’s been a lot of games in between and it seems like a busy schedule, but it’s been good.”
Jake DeBrusk (from ‘With trade deadline behind them, Jake DeBrusk and Linus Ullmark can focus on hockey,’ Boston Globe, March 16, 2023)
Whether or not DeBrusk is back in 2024-25 with Boston remains to be seen as he is a free agent at the end of the season and there has been no contract extension between him and the team. If he hits the open market, then there will be plenty of suitors for him, including teams in Western Canada.
John Beecher Plays Very Well in Return
With the illness spreading through the locker room, Boston recalled John Beecher from the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL) ahead of their trip to Montreal and the former University of Michigan standout played against the Canadiens. In the win, he played 11:39 and won 73% of his face-offs, something that should not come as a surprise.
“Johnny Beecher had a great backcheck,” said Montgomery. “He was excellent on the faceoff dot, did a great job on the PK, and I loved how hard he went to the net front.”
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None of that should come as a surprise and he should be up in Boston for the rest of the season, especially with the Bruins’ face-off struggles and Matthew Poitras gone for the season. He brings more to the table than Jesper Boqvist does just with his ability to win face-offs consistently and kill penalties effectively.
What’s Ahead for the Bruins?
The Philadelphia game kicks off a three-game homestand for the Bruins with the Ottawa Senators (March 19) and the New York Rangers (March 21) also coming into the TD Garden. One point behind the Florida Panthers in the Atlantic Division, points are going to be at a premium for the Black and Gold.