Need to Know: Bruins vs. Flyers | Preseason

BOSTON –– Preseason action continues on Tuesday as the Boston Bruins host the Philadelphia Flyers for a 7 p.m. puck drop at TD Garden. It is the second of four exhibition games for the B’s.

Boosted by tallies from Jake Schmaltz and Charlie McAvoy, the Bruins mounted a 3-2 comeback and won in a shootout on Sunday against the Washington Capitals. James Hagens was the lone goalscorer in the shootout, and Michael DiPietro made 30 saves as the night’s first star.

It will be a different look for Boston against the Flyers with a new group of players getting the call. JJ Peterka and Will Borgen – both of whom were acquired during the summer – will make their TD Garden debut in the Black & Gold.

“I just want them to be themselves and try to adapt things we try to accomplish here as a hockey team, as a Boston Bruin. It might be different for JJ – it’s not the same game style that he played in Utah, which is different. We play heavier, harder. But I still want him to be creative as well,” head coach Marco Sturm said. “I am excited to see them both.”

Peterka is expected to skate on the second line with Casey Mittelstadt and Pavel Zacha; a trio that Sturm has stuck with throughout training camp. Borgen will be on the second pair with Hampus Lindholm – another consistent combination this camp.

​“I can tell already, Borgs has been dialed in. He’s been very strong. We need good pairings,” Sturm said. “If those two click, hopefully, and some other pairs, too, I think we’re in pretty good shape. We will see.”

Borgen and Peterka will be joined by many Bruins veterans – like David Pastrnak, Morgan Geekie and Elias Lindholm – who are getting a game in before the team finishes out the preseason on the road.

“[The preseason] is four games. The other reason is back-to-back, and the third one is that it’s back-to-back on the road. That’s the tricky part. Every team is a little different,” Sturm said. “For us, we feel like I don’t want to bring the older guys on the road and come back late and go to Washington at the end. That’s why we feel like we put the veterans in today.”

Wait, There’s More

• Jeremy Swayman will be in the lineup for Boston. Tuesday will be the 27-year-old goaltender’s first exhibition game of the preseason. Swayman was named a finalist for the 2026 Vezina Trophy after posting a .908 save percentage and 2.71 goals-against average last year. Simon Zajicek will be the backup. Zajicek played his first season with Providence in the AHL during the 2025-26 campaign and had a .915 SV% and 2.44 GAA through 21 games.

• Frederic Brunet is the only skater who played in Sunday’s game against the Capitals returning to the lineup for the game against the Flyers. The 23-year-old defenseman was on the first pair with Charlie McAvoy and logged one block and three hits through 21:45 of ice time. On Tuesday, Brunet will be paired with Maxence Guenette.

• Dans Locmelis will be in the lineup for the B’s. The 22-year-old forward scored in the Prospects Showcase at the beginning of the month and is feeling 100% after dealing with a shoulder injury last season. Locmelis had 28 points (15 goals, 13 assists) through 42 games in the AHL with Providence before getting hurt. The 2022 fourth-round pick is expected to center the third line between Tanner Jeannot and Mikey Eyssimont.

Opposing View

• The Flyers are bringing goaltenders Dan Vladar and Aleksei Kolosov to Boston. Vladar, who played for the Providence Bruins at the start of his career, had a 2.42 GAA and .906 SV% through 52 games last season in the NHL. Kolosov spent the majority of the 2025-26 campaign in the AHL with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms; he had a 2.98 GAA and .895 SV%.

• Noah Cates is one of Philadelphia’s veterans playing on Tuesday. The 27-year-old forward had 47 points (18 goals, 29 assists) through 82 games last year. Cates is expected to center the first line between Alex Bump and Owen Tippett.

• Oliver Bonk, who was the Flyers’ 22nd overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, will play against the Bruins. The 21-year-old defenseman skated in 46 games with Lehigh last season and had 19 points (six goals, 13 assists). Bonk made his NHL debut at the end of the 2025-26 regular season, playing in one game for Philadelphia.