Preseason Preview: Bruins vs. Capitals, aka Brooks Laich and Friends

Just the Facts:

Game Time: 7 PM, TD Garden. TV Broadcast: NESN!!!!! Radio Broadcast: 98.5 The Sports Hub

Rival SB Nation Site: Japers' Rink

Preseason Records: Bruins (3-1-0)

Get Tickets Here: Boston Bruins Tickets

Capitals group playing tonight:

Forwards: Erat-Perreault-Mitchell, Laich-Grabovski-Brouwer, Byers-Latta-Wilson, Volpatti-Beagle-Rechlicz
Defensemen: Hillen-Carrick, Schmidt-Strachan, Cajkovsky-Wey
Goalies:Holtby, Grubauer

Bruins group playing tonight:

Forwards: Lucic-Krejci-Iginla, Caron-Spooner-Johnson, Söderberg-Kelly-Smith, Paille-Lindblad-Thornton.
Defensemen: Chara, Boychuk, Seidenberg, McQuaid, Bartkowski, Miller.
Goaltenders: Rask, Svedberg

Preview:

After cutting 13 players this weekend, the Bruins are fielding a pretty strong lineup vs. Brooks Laich And Some AHL Dudes (And Grabbo) tonight. No cockiness intended, but this should be a good shot for the Bruins to....not lose 8-2 at home in front of their fans in the last home preseason game tonight. After this game, the team heads on the road, hitting Winnipeg and Saskatoon before the real season starts.

Carter Camper, Malcolm Subban, Zach Trotman, and Justin Florek were sent to Providence yesterday to begin AHL camp today, which means Matt Lindblad, Reilly Smith, and Nick Johnson are some of the last kids standing. Nick Johnson, who leads the team in preseason goals, is making a strong case to be considered for the third line RW spot; look for him to continue his strong play tonight. On D we don't have Torey Krug or Dougie Hamilton tonight, but instead Kevan Miller, one of the brightest players for Providence last year, getting one last crack at the Bruins lineup before likely getting sent down ahead of the Saskatoon trip.

We'll get one more look at that Lucic-Krejci-Iginla top line tonight, but as far as lines that will definitely roll in the regular season, that's about it - none of the second line of Marchand-Bergeron-Eriksson are playing, and the third/fourth lines are a jumble of non-regulars.

Tuukka Rask should play the whole game tonight, as should Braden Holtby.