Need to Know: Bruins vs. Sabres

BOSTON – After a pair of strong performances following the trade deadline, the Bruins now enter Monday’s matchup against the Sabres having dropped two consecutive games. Boston, which is now four points out of a playoff spot, will be looking to buck that trend ahead of the team’s five-game, 12-day road trip that begins on Thursday night in Vegas.

“We thought we played a couple of good games there after the trade deadline,” interim head coach Joe Sacco said when asked if the team realizes the hill it has to climb to qualify for the postseason for the ninth straight year. “It’s more about getting back to, with this group here, how we have to play to have success. We have some quickness in our lineup. Our guys need to use their speed effectively to get in on the forecheck, especially up ice, create some turnovers, spend some more time in the zone.

“But our focus, honestly, has to be tonight against Buffalo…they’re a good offensive team. We have to get back to a commitment to checking when we don’t have the puck. We’re not looking too far ahead with the situation.

“For us, it’s the old expression, cliché, but we really have to focus on our opponent tonight and what we do well and what we can do well to have success against them.”

Wait, There’s More

• Joonas Korpisalo will get the start between the pipes. No other lineup changes are expected for the Bruins.
• Sacco on the play of Marat Khusnutdinov, who has goals in back-to-back games, and has impressed with his speed and skill since being acquired from Minnesota for Justin Brazeau earlier this month. “It’s been a small sample size, but I do think that because of his skating ability, his quickness on pucks, he’s made some plays offensively that have caught our eye. I’m sure they’e caught everyone’s eye. Good on him. I do think there’s some upside there. I don’t see him in that fourth-line role, particularly. I think he’s gonna be more of a top-nine forward at some point depending on who he’s playing with. There’s something there to work with for sure.”
• Fraser Minten, who was acquired from Toronto in the Brandon Carlo trade at the deadline, registered a hat trick for Providence on Sunday. “We got a good report from him [Sunday] night,” said Sacco. “Apparently, he had a really good second and third period in his game.”

Monday’s Projected Lineup

FORWARDS

Morgan Geekie – Pavel Zacha – David Pastrnak

Morat Khusnutdinov – Elias Lindholm – Jakub Lauko

Cole Koepke – Casey Mittelstadt – Vinni Lettieri

Johnny Beecher – Patrick Brown – Mark Kastelic

DEFENSEMEN

Nikita Zadorov – Henri Jokiharju

Mason Lohrei – Andrew Peeke

Parker Wotherspoon – Ian Mitchell

GOALIES

Joonas Korpisalo

Jeremy Swayman