Need to Know: Bruins vs. Sharks

BOSTON –– The Boston Bruins have a meeting with the San Jose Sharks on Thursday at TD Garden.

The 7 p.m. puck drop marks the second and final time the teams will face off this regular season. Boston fell 3-1 to San Jose at SAP Center on Nov. 23.

Alex Steeves will enter the lineup in place of Mikey Eyssimont, head coach Marco Sturm said. Steeves last played on Saturday in the team’s 3-1 win over the Washington Capitals.

“I try to have everyone involved,” Sturm said. “Just try to get [Steeves] into the mix. When he had that stretch where he played his best hockey, it was because of his forecheck. Hopefully, he can do that tonight.”​

The 26-year-old forward is expected to return to the third line alongside Fraser Minten and Morgan Geekie.​

“That is the job – you have to be ready to go when called upon. I have been working hard when I haven’t been in. Hopefully, that pays dividends tonight,” Steeves said. “I think when we hunt pucks, play simple, get pucks back, we then all kind of have the ability to make some plays and obviously, Geeks can really finish. I think Fraser and I can, too. Just play a responsible game.”

David Pastrnak did not participate in Thursday’s morning skate. Sturm said Pastrnak and his wife, Rebecca, welcomed a baby girl. He is expected to play against the Sharks, on the first line with Marat Khusnutdinov and Elias Lindholm.

​The Bruins have won 13 consecutive games at TD Garden, which is their longest streak since a 14-game home run in 2022-23. They will look to continue their success on Causeway Street.

“Since the break basically, if you look at those kinds of games, it has a playoff atmosphere. The coach shouldn’t even say anything; I think guys feel it, guys are excited. Guys are very excited at home,” Sturm said. “We want to continue that streak. It is going to be another big opponent tonight. But also big points. Other teams won’t help, so we need to do our work.”

Wait, There’s More

• Jeremy Swayman will start in net for Boston. The goaltender last played on Tuesday, making 15 saves in the win over the Los Angeles Kings. Swayman has a 2.76 goals against average and a .906 save percentage through 42 games this season.

• Sean Kuraly was a fifth-round pick of the Sharks in 2011 before he was traded to Boston in June 2015, where he started his NHL career. The 33-year-old forward is skating on the fourth line with Mark Kastelic and Tanner Jeannot, and has 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) through 64 games. Kuraly is also on the first penalty-kill unit, which has gone 17-for-19 since returning from the Olympic break.

• Charlie McAvoy scored the game-winning goal in overtime for the Bruins on Tuesday. The defenseman suffered another injury to his mouth, but returned to the game and is good to go against the Sharks. McAvoy is on the first pair with Jonathan Aspirot; he has 46 points (seven goals, 39 assists) through 52 games, and leads the B’s with 24:15 of ice time per night.

Opposing View

• The Sharks most recently fell 6-3 to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday at KeyBank Center. Macklin Celebrini, Kiefer Sherwood and Alexander Wennberg scored in the loss, and netminder Yaroslav Askarov made 20 saves. San Jose is fighting for a wild-card spot in the Western Conference; it is one point out of the playoff picture.

• Celebrini leads the Sharks with 90 points (33 goals, 57 assists) through 62 games. The 19-year-old forward is centering the first line between Collin Graf and Will Smith, and is on the first power-play unit. Celebrini played one season of NCAA hockey at Boston University (2023-24) and won the Hobey Baker Award as a freshman. Smith skated in one season with Boston College (2023-24).

• Dmitry Orlov had 23 games with the Bruins during the 2022-23 campaign. The 34-year-old defenseman signed with San Jose as a free agent in July. Orlov has 25 points (one goal, 24 assists) while on the first pair with John Klingberg and averaging 21:21 of ice time per game.