BOSTON –– Consistency is the name of the game for Mason Lohrei.
The defenseman will remain in the lineup for the Boston Bruins on Tuesday as they host the Toronto Maple Leafs at TD Garden for a 7 p.m. puck drop.
Lohrei was a healthy scratch for five games, but returned on Saturday at Scotiabank Arena and had two assists in the B’s 5-3 win over the Maple Leafs. The team will now look to replicate that effort and extend its win streak to seven games.
“I think just trying to get back to playing the game how I know how to. Obviously, sticking to the systems. Just kind of get back to playing free, playing confident,” Lohrei said. “I thought we played a really good team game, just overall. Just doing whatever I can to contribute to that. Moving pucks, jumping in the offense when I can.”
Lohrei is expected to skate on the third pair with Henri Jokiharju, while Jonathan Aspirot draws out. Charlie McAvoy, who missed Saturday’s matchup due to a family matter, will play on the first pair with Nikita Zadorov on Tuesday, head coach Marco Sturm said.
“It is a good opportunity. Aspirot did absolutely nothing wrong. I liked his game; he will be back at one point,” Sturm said. “I just want to see those guys. I thought Mason deserves to play; he played good enough. Hopefully, they can stabilize that third pair, those kinds of minutes we need throughout the game.”
The Bruins are preparing for a pushback from Toronto. They had a full practice on Monday to fine-tune the details of their game before the second of three contests against the divisional rival.
“I expect them to come out really, really hard. It’s a good team,” Sturm said. “It’s a good team and I know they want to respond, especially from the last two games.”
