Need to Know: Bruins vs. Flyers

BOSTON- Patrice Bergeron wishes more than anything that his first home game as captain of the Boston Bruins could happen in front of a raucous TD Garden.
Under normal circumstances, the 17,000-plus fans in attendance would shower him with admiration after taking on the 'C' earlier this month. But for the time being, the COVID-19 pandemic had made that impossible.
When the Bruins take the ice for Thursday night's home opener against the Philadelphia Flyers, they will do so in front of an empty TD Garden. The lack of fans will not, however, make the occasion any less meaningful for No. 37.
"It's gonna be great. Being back at the Garden, being back in Boston, it's always special to us," said Bergeron. "We'd love to have the fans there. We know they're watching, we know they're still supporting us from afar and they're behind us. We've always felt that love and support and we'd love to have them. We miss them. We can't wait to have them back."

Given all of the success the Bruins have had at home over the last decade - which has included a sellout streak that dates back to 2009 - there is certainly an advantage that can be gained from the energy of the TD Garden crowd. Without that, though, it will be the little things that can make the difference for Boston.
"It's always nice to be home," said Bergeron. "Going back to your routine. Obviously, it's been a while. For us, it was nice to get [Wednesday's] practice here and getting used to the ice and just being back in the dressing room and at the Garden. It was a nice feeling.
"It's a lot different without the fans. It might not be the same advantage as it used to be. That being said, you're trying to take advantage of being around that familiarity."
As such, the Bruins are hoping to build up their game on home ice after a disappointing opening road trip (1-1-1) during which they failed to score a goal at even strength. Given the shortened 56-game schedule, the B's know it's crucial to turn things around quickly.
"You're always better when you're in the present, in the now. That job in front of you, which is the Flyers right now tonight," said Bergeron. "That being said, we know that it is a shortened season and points are really important and the start of the season is really important. We're in a good division. It's a great challenge on all accounts."

Grzelcyk Good to Go

Matt Grzelcyk, who left Monday's game on Long Island with an injury, skated in full for the second straight day and appears to be good to go for the home opener. David Pastrnak also joined the group for morning skate, marking the second consecutive team practice the winger has participated in as he continues his rehab from offseason hip surgery.
Tuukka Rask will make the start against the Flyers with Jaroslav Halak expected to get the nod on Saturday night.
"It's been mapped out. We're trying to limit Tuukka to two days, two games a week," said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy. "I think with the back-to-back [against the] same team which we're gonna see all the time, we may factor now a little more, what's the record against them, that particular team, has he frustrated that team recently?
"We'll definitely do that, throw the same guy out there if he feels he's hot against that team and even the style of play that they play. Those will be factored in maybe more than other years."

Opposing View

The Flyers are picking up where they left off last season, having won three of their first four games, including a 3-0 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night. Philadelphia is third in the league in goals scored thus far, having potted 15 goals in four games.
Travis Konecny is leading the Flyers with four goals and six points, while Boston native Kevin Hayes is second in scoring with five points (two goals, three assists).
Goaltender Carter Hart has started three of the four games (2-1-0) with a 3.65 goals against average and .899 save percentage.
"They've been a better defensive team I've noticed the last couple of years, protecting leads," said Cassidy. "You're not gonna get a lot of easy chances against them once they get ahead so that's the biggest difference I notice…they seem to identify that area as being a better team in terms of harder to play against, yet they still have high-end skill, they've got some big people in there, and their D core is maybe a little more mobile.
"They're a good hockey team, no real weaknesses. I feel we're the same way. When we're on our game there's no one area that we're gonna be susceptible to, constant attack, and that's sort of put them as one of the favorites in the East."
Reigning Selke Trophy winner Sean Couturier is sidelined for two weeks with a Costochondral separation. His replacement, Morgan Frost (dislocated shoulder), and Philippe Myers (fractured rib) are also out. Center Connor Bunnaman and defenseman Mark Friedman will make theirs season debuts, per the Flyers.
"We know they're a good team, they were last year. It's no different," said Charlie Coyle. "We know they're gonna be better this year. We've seen some highlights of them playing already; you always know what's going on around the league and in your division. A lot of skill, they work, they've got some big D-men on the back end.
"They're just a solid team all the way through, a lot of depth. We have to go into every game expecting every team's best. That's gonna bring our best out and our focus."

By The Numbers

• The Bruins and Flyers are meeting for the 202nd time in their histories with the Bruins having a 107-61-21-12 record and 659-583 scoring advantage in those games.
• The Bruins are 59-24-11-7 vs. the Flyers all-time on home ice with a 352-273 scoring edge in those 101 contests.
• The Bruins are 7-1-5 in their last 13 games vs. the Flyers with their lone regulation loss in that span a 4-3 road setback on Jan. 16, 2019 and they are 13-2-6 in their last 21 overall games of this lifetime series. The B's have taken points out of their last 12 games in Boston at 9-0-3 with their last home loss vs. the Flyers a 2-1 setback on Oct. 6, 2011.
• Thursday night's contest is the first of eight games between these teams this season and the first of four to be played at TD Garden. The last meeting between the teams came on March 10 in Philadelphia - the teams' last game before the COVID-19 shutdown.
• The Bruins are opening a four-game homestand. They will continue hosting Philadelphia on Saturday before Pittsburgh comes to town on Jan. 26 and 28.
• The Bruins enter Thursday's game with a 50-24-20-1 all-time record in home-opening games. They have won their last four home openers and are 7-1-0 in their last eight, with their lone loss in that span a 6-2 setback vs. Winnipeg on Oct. 8, 2015.
• They have hosted the Flyers in a home opener on four occasions (3-1- 0) with the last such game a 2-1 win on Oct. 8, 2014.

Thursday's Projected Lineup

Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - Jake DeBrusk
Nick Ritchie - David Krejci - Jack Studnicka
Anders Bjork - Charlie Coyle - Craig Smith
Trent Frederic - Sean Kuraly - Chris Wagner
Jeremy Lauzon - Charlie McAvoy
Matt Grzelcyk - Brandon Carlo
Jakub Zboril - Kevan Miller
Tuukka Rask
Jaroslav Halak