PREVIEW: Bruins vs Predators

By: Mike Grinnell

Follow @MikeGrinnell_

After Saturday night’s 4-0 victory over the Vancouver Canucks, The Boston Bruins have earned a point in their last 8 games going 6-0-2. The Bruins will look to add on to their 8-game-point streak in Nashville, against the Predators on Monday night.

The 14-8-3 Bruins take on a 13-8-5 Predators team that is 1-2-2 in their last 5 games and is playing the second game of a three game road trip, in which they lost their first game to Detroit, 5-4 in O.T.

Claude Julien switched up his lineup on Saturday night against the Canucks, healthy scratching some bold names. Dennis Seidenberg, Colin Miller, and Jimmy Hayes, all were on press box duty Saturday night, for what Coach Julien described as matience days.

“There’s just decisions that have to be made. There’s some guys that are banged up and, you know, that can or can’t play, so those are the decisions that I have to make guys. It’s just…those are just decisions that every coach has to make with his team. So I can’t come out here and say this guy’s got this, this and this. Some guys may be playing some guys may be not.” Coach Julien told reporters before Mondays game.

Jimmy Hayes, who has jumped around from line to line this season, has gotten off to a slow start this season. With 4g, 8a and has a +/- of -5.

“I’m just going to leave it at I just make decisions and put the guys in that I feel are the guys that are giving us the best fit.” Julien told reporters. “So dealing with Jimmy [Hayes], I’ll deal with it internally.”

While Coach Julien seemed to channel his inner-Bill Belichick in regards to asking questions about the players who aren’t on the ice, when it came to the players who have been on the ice, Julien didn’t hold anything back regarding Brandon Ferraro.

“I think again he’s given us that flexibility- a guy that can play center. I know he hasn’t played a few years, but can play the wing, and we can move up at times. He’s a smart player. I mean he’s a…he’s not coming here telling us he’s going to be one of our leading scorers but he’s going to come in here and do the job that he feels he’s very capable of doing and that’s being a reliable player. And still, you know, when you look at him I think he’s averaging a point a game almost since he’s been with us so I think he’s off to a good start.”

With Seidenberg and Miller sidelined, it also gave Joe Morrow the oppriunity the step in and play with the big club. On how he felt about Joe Morrow jumping into the game as a young defenseman.

“It is a difficult thing to do and I think he deserves a lot of credit for playing the way he did. I think it was almost a month that he hadn’t played.” Julien said. “We needed him. He came up and he was ready. And I think, you know, the extra work that he does after practice and how focused he has to be for those is great. But you know, I think in Joe’s [Morrow] case he has that personality that, you know, doesn’t get too uptight and just goes out there and plays.”

Hayes, Miller, and Seidenberg are all expected to be game-time decisions, but after hearing Julien speak today, it didn’t seem to likely.

Puck drop scheduled for 7:00 PM.

Projected Lines: (Via DailyFaceoff.com)

NASHVILLE GOALIE- CARTER HUTTON

 

(Image via Predators.NHL.com)