Need to Know: Bruins vs. Flyers

BOSTON - It's been 218 long days since Tuukka Rask last manned the Bruins' net.
But after six months of grueling rehabilitation following a summer surgery to repair a torn labrum in his hip, the Black & Gold's all-time winningest goalie will be back between the pipes donning the Spoked-B on Thursday night as the Bruins host the Philadelphia Flyers.

"I think the recovery," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said when asked what he'll be watching for as Rask makes his triumphant return. "Is he outside his post on a puck that changes sides? Tuukka's been elite at that for years about not getting out of square. Extended shift in our end…is he staying down, is he popping right back up and then down?
"Tonight, I might look over between whistles - is he hunched over from lack of having the equipment on, not getting a break, maybe the heat…in the building. There's different things like that that could affect him and his ablity to get ready for the next faceoff and play that you'll keep an eye on.
"Some of those are normal when you don't play…those are the things I'll look for…you can't expect to be perfect but get up to speed in a hurry."

Boston will be in search of their fourth consecutive victory and seventh in eight games since emerging from the extended Christmas break. But despite the B's run of recent success, Cassidy believes there is still plenty of work to be done in order for Boston to be considered one the league's top-tier teams.
"We need more. We need consistently to play at a high level," said Cassidy. "At the start of the year, we had our moments. I don't think we were as far off as some people thought. Expectations are high and we weren't meeting ours - I'm not gonna sugarcoat that.
"But we also knew we were working our way through some different things. Now we've come out the other side and look more like we want to. Things are going well right now."
Here's everything else you need to know ahead of the 7 p.m. puck drop on ESPN and 98.5 The Sports Hub:

Lewington Debuts

With Derek Forbort and Connor Clifton in COVID-19 protocol and John Moore suffering an upper-body injury on Wednesday night, Tyler Lewington will make his Bruins debut against the Flyers. The 27-year-old, recalled on an emergency basis on Wednesday, has played 24 games for Providence this season with a goal and three assists.
Lewington, who checks in at 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, has played 10 NHL games across three seasons with Washington and Nashville. The Edmonton native was inked to a one-year, two-way contract by the Bruins in July.

Opposing View

The Flyers have not played since Jan. 8 after having Tuesday's contest against the Carolina Hurricanes postponed due to COVID-19 concerns. Philadelphia defensemen Justin Braun and Ivan Provorov and winger Travis Konecny cleared protocol on Wednesday and are likely to be back in the lineup against the Bruins, per interim coach Mike Yeo.
Flyers captain and leading scorer Claude Giroux (29 points in 32 games) also recently returned from the list, while defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen remains in protocol.
Philadelphia (13-15-7, 33 points) has lost five straight games and is tied with Columbus for the fifth spot in the Metro Division. In addition to Giroux, the Flyers are paced offensively by Cam Atkinson, who leads the team with 14 goals.

Wait, There's More

• Forbort and Clifton, who both entered COVID-19 protocol over the weekend, remain in isolation. Per Cassidy, Forbort is still in Florida, though could soon be cleared to return home, while Clifton traveled back to Boston several days ago via a car service. "He wanted to hitchhike, we said no," Cassidy joked.
• Per the NHL's Department of Player Safety, Montreal's Chris Wideman will have a hearing for head-butting Erik Haula during the third period of Wednesday night's game. Wideman was given a two-minute minor for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Thursday's Projected Lineup

FORWARDS
Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - Craig Smith
Taylor Hall - Erik Haula - David Pastrnak
Jake DeBrusk - Chrarlie Coyle - Oskar Steen
Anton Blidh - Tomas Nosek - Curtis Lazar
DEFENSEMEN
Matt Grzelcyk - Charlie McAvoy
Mike Reilly - Brandon Carlo
Urho Vaakanainen - Tyler Lewington
GOALIES
Tuukka Rask
Linus Ullmark