Need to Know: Bruins vs. Flames

BOSTON - All indications were pointing toward a Charlie McAvoy return.
The defenseman skated in full during Wednesday's practice at Warrior Ice Arena and was paired alongside Hampus Lindholm. Following the skate, however, coach Jim Montgomery said McAvoy was still checking boxes and would not commit to the B's ace blue liner being ready to suit up against the Calgary.

But on Thursday morning, Boston's bench boss made it official: No. 73 will be making his season debut when the B's battle the Flames at TD Garden as they aim to improve to a perfect 8-0-0 on Causeway Street.
"Your observations [on Wednesday] were accurate, and he's checked all the boxes," Montgomery said to the assembled media with a chuckle. "And Charlie McAvoy will be in the lineup tonight."
Montgomery said there will "not really" be any restrictions on McAvoy, who is suiting up for the first time since undergoing left shoulder arthroscopic surgery on June 3. The initial recovery time was six months, putting him about three weeks ahead of schedule.
"We're very fortunate with the D corps we have that we don't need a complete 24 minutes. But I expect him to play 20 tonight," said Montgomery.
Despite skating alongside Lindholm during Wednesday's practice, McAvoy will pair up with Matt Grzelcyk against the Flames, reuniting a duo that has thrived in past seasons. As such, Lindholm will remain with Connor Clifton, while Brandon Carlo will be alongside Jakub Zboril.
"There'll be some mixing and matching - he's just going to start the game with Grizz," Montgomery said of McAvoy. "We really like the Lindholm-Clifton pairing. And again, we're very lucky that we can put Carlo in a situation where he can pair up with Zboril and have three really good pairs."

Montgomery added that he is very much looking forward to coaching McAvoy for the first time in game action.
"His biggest strength, just how he impacts the game in all three zones," said Montgomery. "It doesn't seem like he takes a second off, whether it's he's pressuring pucks, he's ending plays, he's hitting someone or he's taking the puck through from the breakout through neutral zone, kicking it out and driving to the net for getting a chance at the net."
Charlie Coyle, meanwhile, is pleased to no longer be the only Charlie on the Boston roster.
"It's been tough being the only one for this long," Coyle said with a smile. "We all know what he means to our team and having him in the lineup, what it does for us, what kind of player he is. I'm sure he's very excited. We're all excited to have him back. You want your full team out there playing.
"We have a lot of guys who can chip in and play, but it's always nice when you have a healthy roster and you get everyone going and playing and feeling good. We're really excited to have Charlie back."

Opposing View

The Flames have dropped six in a row as they come to town for the finale of their three-game East Coast-road trip. Calgary is paced by Nazem Kadri, who was signed as a free agent over the summer, with the centerman leading the club with seven goals and 12 points through 12 games. The Flames also have newcomers Jonathan Huberdeau (goal, five assists) and MacKenzie Weegar (four assists), both acquired from Florida in exchange for Matthew Tkachuk, in the lineup.
"I think they're a really good hockey team that's playing really well," said Montgomery. "I think in their last two games [a 4-3 OT loss to the Islanders and a 3-2 setback to New Jersey], they've carried the majority of play. They're not scoring like they did last year right now. But if you look at the analytics, they should be scoring more and they should be giving up less goals.
"So that's going to come back to normal sooner or later, and it's going to start going in for them and they're going to stop more pucks. That's just a matter of time. They're playing real good hockey. It's a real good hockey team."
Old friend Milan Lucic has three assists in 12 games, while former Bruins winger Brett Ritchie has three goals and two assists.
Lucic remembers his time in Boston and what the city means to him (video courtesy: Flames TV).

Goalie Jacob Markstrom is 4-3-2 with a 2.97 goals against average and .893 save percentage. Former Boston netminder Daniel Vladar has played three games with a 1-2-0 record, 3.81 GAA, and .865 save %.
"They're always a tough team to play against. They play hard," said Coyle. "They've got some skill over there, too, certain guys you've got to be aware of when they're out there. It's always kind of a man's game against them and you've got to be physical and make sure you play the right way. They can make you pay, too, whether it's their building or here."

Wait, There's More

• Linus Ullmark will make his sixth consecutive start between the pipes.
• The only tweak up front will be Nick Foligno bumping back down to skate with Tomas Nosek and Craig Smith, while Trent Frederic will slide up to play with Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha.
• Zacha will be suiting up for his 400th career game on Thursday night.
• Montgomery on Mike Reilly, who was placed on waivers for the purpose of assignment to Providence, on Wednesday afternoon: "It's not easy…it's the unfortunate part of the business," he said. "You get to know people…they are people and you care about them, you know? But we are only allowed to carry 23 men. And that's what it comes down to. And in the end, we always make decisions that we think are going to be the best for Boston Bruins."

Thursday's Projected Lineup

FORWARDS
Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - Jake DeBrusk
Taylor Hall - David Krejci - David Pastrnak
Trent Frederic - Charlie Coyle - Pavel Zacha
Nick Foligno - Tomas Nosek - Craig Smith

DEFENSEMEN
Hampus Lindholm - Connor Clifton
Matt Grzelcyk - Charlie McAvoy
Jakub Zboril - Brandon Carlo
GOALIES
Linus Ullmark
Keith Kinkaid