BOSTON –– The Boston Bruins are back at TD Garden on Thursday to face the Nashville Predators for a 7 p.m. puck drop.
The B’s are coming off a four-game road trip, during which they collected seven out of eight points. They’ll play the next two games at home and work to keep the energy up.
“I thought the guys had a really good jump today. We addressed it,” head coach Marco Sturm said. “So, whatever it takes, I think we’ve just got to find a way. It’s going to be between your ears; it’s going to be a mind game. We’ve just got to make sure we’re prepared and get excited to be home again.”
Other than the goaltender, Sturm said the lineup will stay the same. Marat Khusnutdinov, accordingly, will be on the second line with Fraser Minten and Morgan Geekie. The 24-year-old forward signed a three-year extension with the Bruins on Wednesday.
“I am very excited to be a Bruin for three more years. For me, it’s the best group and best fans and best city,” Khusnutdinov said. “I like everything. I like PK, 5-on-5…I’m just really excited to help my team win the game.”
Khusnutdinov’s teammates are excited to officially have him around for the next few seasons.
“He’s just like a little waterbug, man,” Geekie said. “He just seems to never get tired, and he’s just a hound on pucks. He seems to find himself in the right spots all the time; he’s very responsible and brings a lot of energy. He’s able to turn pucks over – I think you see that on the penalty kill a lot, just how smart he is. I don’t think he gets credit for how good he is offensively, too. I think you’ve seen him, since he came in, grow into his own.”
Khusnutdinov had a career-high 33 points (15 goals, 18 assists) through 77 games last season. The Moscow native played up and down the lineup, now securing his top-six positioning. Khusnutdinov has five points (two goals, three assists) in 10 games this year.
“First of all, he’s such a good kid. I think he’s very well-liked in the room. For me, as a coach, give him a lot of credit – he works extremely hard, and he’s doing a lot of good things,” Sturm said. “In the minors, the guys who got called up, I called them my kids. I was just happy to see. It’s different now here. I feel like he started with me last year – a guy like him, Mints and all those guys – and now having big contracts gets me excited, too. I am very happy for him and his family.”
The family is definitely happy, Khusnutdinov confirmed.
“Like, ‘Congrats kid,’” he said of their reaction. “I want to tell my family, too, thanks. My mother and my sisters and my father – it’s great work [by them], too. I feel the support every time, always.”
