Bruins at Predators preview

BRUINS (7-3-2) at PREDATORS (10-3-0)
8 p.m. ET; FS-TN, NESN, NHL.TV

Backes missed five games with an upper-body injury. He's expected to skate on a line with Anders Bjork and Joakim Nordstrom.
Boston is 3-1-0 in its past four games and 3-2-2 on the road. Goalie Jaroslav Halak is 4-0-2 with a 1.52 goals-against average and .947 save percentage.
The Predators have the best record in the NHL (10-3-0) and are 8-2-0 in their past 10 games. Forward Viktor Arvidsson is expected to miss his second consecutive game with a lower-body injury.

Players to watch

Center Patrice Bergeron leads the Bruins with 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) and has six points (one goal, five assists) in his past four games.
Forward Ryan Johansen leads the Predators with 15 points (two goals, 13 assists) and has eight assists in his past five games.

They said it

"Contribute to a team win. That's our goal. That's my goal every night. And try to start some chemistry with [Nordstrom and Bjork] here. I like the combination, and we've got to go earn some more ice time and get our feet on the ice." -- Bruins forward David Backes on returning to the lineup
"He's unreal. He's definitely one of the best players in the League when he's playing like this. He's so big and so powerful, you just can't defend it really. The passes are amazing, so it's definitely a joy for me." -- Predators forward Filip Forsberg on Ryan Johansen

Bruins projected lineup

Brad Marchand -- Patrice Bergeron -- David Pastrnak
Danton Heinen -- David Krejci -- Jake DeBrusk
Anders Bjork -- Joakim Nordstrom -- David Backes
Chris Wagner -- Sean Kuraly -- Noel Acciari
Zdeno Chara -- Brandon Carlo
Torey Krug -- John Moore
Jeremy Lauzon -- Steven Kampfer
Jaroslav Halak
Tuukka Rask
Scratched:None
Injured:Charlie McAvoy (upper body), Matt Grzelcyk (lower body), Urho Vaakanainen (concussion), Kevan Miller (hand)

Predators projected lineup

Filip Forsberg -- Ryan Johansen -- Kevin Fiala
Calle Jarnkrok -- Kyle Turris -- Craig Smith
Colton Sissons -- Nick Bonino -- Ryan Hartman
Rocco Grimaldi
-- Frederick Gaudreau -- Miikka Salomaki
Roman Josi -- Ryan Ellis
Mattias Ekholm -- P.K. Subban
Matt Irwin -- Yannick Weber
Pekka Rinne
Juuse Saros
Scratched:Anthony Bitetto
Injured:Dan Hamhuis (undisclosed), Zac Rinaldo (lower body), Viktor Arvidsson (lower body)
Suspended:Austin Watson

Status report

Wagner moved to the fourth line with Backes returning to the lineup. … Rinaldo participated in the morning skate. … Fiala took Arvidsson's place on Nashville's top line.

Stat pack

Halak is 14-3-5 with a 1.94 GAA and a .927 save percentage in 23 games against the Predators. … Johansen has nine points (three goals, six assists) in 12 games against the Bruins.