Cassidy Will Ice Same Lineup Against Flames

CALGARY, Alberta- Bruce Cassidy confirmed on Wednesday morning that he will not be making any changes to his lineup when the Bruins visit the Flames tonight at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
The B's bench boss will ice the same 20 players as he did on Saturday afternoon in Boston's 8-2 victory over the Red Wings at TD Garden.

"We're gonna go with what we have scripted as far as goaltending and we're gonna change the lineup to keep people fresh," said Cassidy, who will start Tuukka Rask between the pipes for the second straight game. "Not so much matchup-wise. It's not like we look ahead and say, 'This team has that.' Generally it's about keeping our guys in the right order, dressing the best lineup, keeping guys competitive, hungry.
"I think there will be a time, though, that we will get away from that and stick with a lineup. I think every team would tell you that. But we're not there yet with all the young kids we have. We want to make sure that we do it the right way with regards to how long they sit."
With that, here is the projected lineup against the Flames:
Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - David Pastrnak
Joakim Nordstrom - David Krejci - Jake DeBrusk
Ryan Donato - David Backes - Anders Bjork
Chris Wagner - Sean Kuraly - Noel Acciari
Zdeno Chara - Charlie McAvoy
Matt Grzelcyk - Kevan Miller
John Moore - Brandon Carlo
Tuukka Rask
Jaro Halak
Scratches: Danton Heinen and Steven Kampfer

Familiar Foe

Former Bruins forward Austin Czarnik will skate against his old team for the first time since signing with the Flames over the summer. The 25-year-old joined the Bruins as a free agent out of Miami (Ohio) in 2014 and was with the organization for four seasons, playing 59 games for Boston (5 goals, 12 assists) and 157 games for Providence, where he averaged nearly a point per game (51 goals, 104 assists)
"It's an exciting day, I'm excited to get the opportunity to play against them," said Czarnik. "They have a great squad over there, they're well-coached, they play hard every single night, so it's gonna be a good challenge."
Czarnik has played in all five games this season, notching a goal and two assists. He will skate as the fourth line right wing, alongside Garnet Hathaway and Derek Ryan.
"It's been a little different, obviously the travel here is a little tougher," Czarnik said of adjusting to a new organization for the first time in his career. "But it's been a good group, this group works hard. We're hungry every single night and just trying to have fun with it."

China Reunion

The two teams are meeting for the first time since their trip to China in September, during which they played two preseason games. Boston won both of those matchups, but defenseman John Moore isn't putting too much stock into anything either team did during those exhibition contests.
"Preseason you take what you can from it, I think we can look at their systems and the way that they played, but teams evolve and progress and develop through training camp and into the first couple games of the season," said Moore. "We'll learn what we can from it, but going in with an open mind here tonight."
Calgary enters tonight's game with a 3-2-0 record and plenty of offensive threats up front. Johnny Gaudreau is leading the Flames with eight points (two goals, six assists) and will play the left side on Calgary's top line with Sean Monahan in the middle and Elias Lindoholm on the right. Monahan and Lindholm pace the Flames with four goals apiece.
"They're deep. They have a really good lineup, they play hard, they play physical under [coach Bill Peters]," said Brad Marchand. "Just based on the teams that he's coached in the past I think they play very fast. He expects a lot out of them, he's hard on them.
"We can expect them to come hard tonight. They'll play very tight. They always do and with their talent and ability up front. They're gonna be dangerous, so we have to be prepared to have a good game."

Starting Fast

The Bruins would like nothing more than to start off this lengthy road trip on the right foot. A victory against the Flames would go a long way in setting the tone for the remainder of the journey, which includes stops in Edmonton, Vancouver, and Ottawa.
"It will be critical, right from the puck drop getting ready to compete and dig in and play our game," said Moore. "It all starts with our first shift, so that's our focus right now."