Need to Know: Bruins vs. Flyers

BostonBruins.com - It might be a few hours later than expected, but the Bruins will get their chance to take to the great outdoors on Sunday evening for NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Poor ice conditions forced the mid-game postponement for Saturday's outdoor opener between the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche and also prevented the Bruins and Flyers from taking to the rink for practice earlier in the day. The NHL also decided to push back the start time for Boston-Philly some four hours to 4:30 p.m. PT in an effort to protect the ice from the forecasted sunny skies.
Despite the disruptions to the schedule - which has been the norm during this pandemic-shortened campaign - Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy believes his team will be ready to go as they look to snap their two-game losing skid.

"You roll with it, there's no other way to do it," said Cassidy. "We had a good practice at an indoor rink [on Saturday], addressed some things that we hope we can do better, that we need to do better, that we haven't done better the last three or four times out. I thought it was a productive day in that regard.
"I think everyone is looking forward to playing. That's what we came here for. Hopefully the weather agrees with us, so far so good today. Hopefully we get out there and have a good performance."

Cassidy added that he is not concerned about the ice conditions. Bruins general manager Don Sweeney attended the resumption of the Vegas-Colorado game late Saturday evening and reported that the ice was "excellent" once the sun was out of the picture.
"Once the sun sort of moves out, they're able to get it at the right sort of temperature, not losing any melt…once it's gone, it seems like that takes care of the issue," said Cassidy. "It might start a little slower but hopefully there's no reason to postpone it or anything like that.
"At the end of the day, there will be a good sheet of ice out there, that's what we've been told, that's what we're expecting. Our players are ready to go."
Heres everything else you need to know ahead of tonight's 7:30 p.m. ET puck drop on NBCSN and 98.5 The Sports Hub:

Manning the Middle

Jack Studnicka's 22nd birthday was probably among the most boring of his young life. The pandemic, of course, has made any celebrations nearly impossible, forcing him to stay home and take in the Bruins' tilt against the New Jersey Devils on TV from his place in Providence.
That, however, is when things got a lot more exciting, as Studnicka received a call late Thursday night informing him that he was being recalled by the big club and would be making the trip to Tahoe.
"It was a quick turnaround," said Studnicka. "Drove to Boston, got to my place, packed a bag and went and practiced in the morning and flew out here…but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I'm really excited to get the opportunity. A pretty awesome birthday gift."
During his six games with Boston earlier this season, Studnicka was playing right wing, mostly alongside David Krejci. Now, with Krejci sidelined by injury, the former second-round pick will be sliding back into his natural center position with Anders Bjork and Jake DeBrusk on his wings.
"A little bit of a challenge learning a new position," Studnicka said of the wing. "Been a centerman for pretty much my whole life, but it was fun getting to learn a position like that and compete, learn the game from a different viewpoint. I thought I was getting better every game, every time I touched the ice.
"Definitely excited to be back in the middle of the ice tonight. Hopefully we'll have some success. I think we have a really fast line tonight…hopefully things go well."

Getting A Shot

Urho Vaakaninen has seven NHL games on his resume, but none will have the aura of his return to the big club. The former first-round pick will be playing in his first game with Boston since Nov. 21, 2019 when he suits up for Sunday night's outdoor game at Lake Tahoe.
With Matt Grzelcyk, Kevan Miller, and Jakub Zboril all sidelined, the 22-year-old is getting another chance to show he belongs following a strong showing during training camp. Vaakanainen will play alongside Brandon Carlo on Boston's second pairing.
"I thought in camp that he was as good as [Jeremy] Lauzon and [Jakub] Zboril, I came out and said that," said Cassidy. "We could only put two of them in the lineup because [Matt Grzelcyk was definitely going in. There's a lot of different reasons for why we picked the other two…but knowing in the back of our mind that Vaak was that close, came ready to play at camp, was good for us.
"It's always a good problem to have when you know you've got guys you feel can play. But now it's up to him to prove it. It's a little bit of a different stage for him but at the end of the day that's the hand he's been dealt."

Opposing View

Like the Bruins, Philadelphia will hardly be at full strength with a number of players still sidelined due to COVID-19 protocols. The Flyers returned from a 10-day COVID-related pause on Thursday night with a 3-2 shootout loss to the New York Rangers, but remain without Justin Braun, Claude Giroux, Travis Konecny, Scott Laughton, Oskar Lindblom, and Jakub Voracek, all of whom are still listed on the NHL's COVID protocols list.
The Flyers (8-3-3) have 19 points through 14 games - tied with the Islanders and Capital for second place in the East Division - putting them 3 points behind the Bruins (10-3-2, 22 points), who have won all four matchups so far this season.
"They are a good team," said Cassidy. "At home, we caught them at the end of a road trip. In their building…had a comeback at the end of the last game. There was one game we had our way. They have been close games. The other ones, overtime, we got a power-play opportunity. They are missing guys.
"We have five guys out from injury as well. Both teams will be relying on depth and keeping it simple for the guys that are going in. Should be a good hockey game. I wouldn't expect anything else. They are a real good team. I like to think we are a real good team. Can't wait to get after it."

By The Numbers

• Charlie McAvoy will be playing in his 200th NHL game tonight.
• Brad Marchand's next goal will be the 300th of his NHL career. Only six other players in Bruins history have reached that milestone (John Bucyk, Phil Esposito, Rick Middleton, Ray Bourque, Patrice Bergeron, and Cam Neely).
• Patrice Bergeron is one point short of tying Bobby Orr (888 pts) for fifth place on the club's all-time scoring list.
• The Bruins will play their fourth outdoor game tonight and their second vs. the Flyers. They enter tonight's game with a 2-1-0 record in outdoor games, defeating the Flyers, 2-1, in overtime at Fenway Park on Jan. 1, 2010, lost to Montreal, 5-1, at Gillette Stadium on Jan. 1, 2016 and defeated Chicago, 4-2, at Notre Dame Stadium on Jan. 1, 2019.
• Patrice Bergeron played in all three previous outdoor contests and leads all Bruins scorers in outdoor games with 1-2-3 totals. Tuukka Rask has dressed in the previous three, as backup in 2010 and playing in both 2016 and 2019.
• David Krejci (currently injured) and Kevan Miller (not on this trip) have played in two previous games, while Chris Wagner, Brandon Carlo, John Moore, Matt Grzelcyk (currently injured), Sean Kuraly, Brad Marchand, Jake DeBrusk, David Pastrnak and Jaroslav Halak (backup) all dressed for the 2019 game.

Video: Marchand, Rask talk outdoor game after Saturday skate

Sunday's Projected Lineup

FORWARDS
Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - David Pastrnak
Nick Ritchie - Charlie Coyle - Craig Smith
Anders Bjork - Jack Studnicka - Jake DeBrusk
Trent Frederic - Sean Kuraly - Chris Wagner
DEFENSEMEN
Jeremy Lauzon - Charlie McAvoy
Urho Vaakanainen - Brandon Carlo
John Moore - Connor Clifton
GOALIES
Tuukka Rask
Jaroslav Halak