PREVIEW: In the first back-to-back game for Boston in 2021, Bruins visit Islanders

Just the facts

When: Tonight, 7 PM

Where: Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY

How to follow: MSG+, NESN

Rival SBN site: Lighthouse Hockey

Know your Enemy

• The Islanders are 5-4-3, good for 13 team points and 4th in the East division.
• Matt Barzal, 5G-8A/13Pts; Jordan Eberle, 5-2/7Pts. Not a lot to write home about yet.
• Semyon Varlamov leads in net with a 1.98 GAA and .929 Sv%. Ilya Sorokin is not looking quite ready for prime-time, and Cory Schneider hasn’t started since last March.

Game Notes

This might be a hard game for the Bruins to get up for, and not for a lack of desire. Being the team’s first back to back game this season, and following a semi-tedious and definitely-physical game against the New York Rangers last night, there’s a chance we see a ghost of the team we’re only just getting to know.

Challenged most tonight will be Tuukka Rask. Starting behind a tired team is a tough assignment for a goaltender, and we’re still seeing Matt Grzelcyk get up to game speed... or not, as he missed yesterday’s game for his seventh on the bench in 10. More concerning is whether he’s actually going to know the score of the game... that skate to the bench was just STUUUUUPIDly idiotic, and we’re all glad it’s good for a bit of a chuckle and only slightly more concern.

Though unconfirmed at this point, I suspect that Cassidy will shuffle his lines, to first reunite Jake DeBrusk and David Krejci and second to balance the physicality of Nick Ritchie and Craig Smith. Not necessarily ‘bangers’, these guys fit pretty well with Krejci but they each add a good amount of value to their line, whether they’re on the same trio or not.

OK, back to back games...