Bruins at Jets preview
Rask expected in goal for Boston; Winnipeg trying to end four-game losing streak
by Darrin Bauming / NHL.com Independent Correspondent
BRUINS (29-10-12) at JETS (25-22-4)
8 p.m. ET; TVAS, TSN3, NESN, NHL.TV
The Game
Goalie Tuukka Rask is expected to play for the first time since Jan. 14 when the Bruins face the Winnipeg Jets at Bell MTS Place on Friday.
Rask practiced Thursday with no issues. He sustained a concussion during a 3-0 loss at the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Bruins will play their first game since a 3-2 win against the Vegas Golden Knights on Jan. 21. Boston is 2-2-1 in its past five games.
Laurent Brossoit will start in goal for the Jets, who are looking to end a season-long four-game losing streak, during which they have been outscored 20-7. It's Winnipeg's first game since a 4-3 loss at Columbus on Jan. 22.
Players to watch
Bruins forward David Pastrnak has 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists) in his past 18 games. He leads the NHL with 37 goals.
Jets forward Kyle Connor has 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) in his past 12 games.
They said it
"We're going to look at the Jets' tendencies, less about what they did before the break, more about what they're capable of, their top-end guys and where we feel we can expose them." -- Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy
"Especially against the really good team that Boston is, we've got to play simple. We can't just be toe-dragging it all night. They're going to make us pay." -- Jets forward Patrik Laine
Bruins projected lineup
Brad Marchand -- Patrice Bergeron -- David Pastrnak
Danton Heinen -- David Krejci -- Karson Kuhlman
Jake DeBrusk -- Charlie Coyle -- Anders Bjork
Joakim Nordstrom -- Sean Kuraly -- Chris Wagner
Zdeno Chara -- Charlie McAvoy
Torey Krug -- Brandon Carlo
Jeremy Lauzon -- Matt Grzelcyk
Tuukka Rask
Jaroslav Halak
Scratched: John Moore, Par Lindholm, Dan Vladar
Injured: Kevan Miller (knee), Connor Clifton (upper body)
Jets projected lineup
Kyle Connor -- Mark Scheifele -- Patrik Laine
Nikolaj Ehlers -- Blake Wheeler -- Mason Appleton
Mathieu Perreault -- Andrew Copp -- Jack Roslovic
Gabriel Bourque -- Nicholas Shore -- Jansen Harkins
Josh Morrissey -- Neal Pionk
Dmitry Kulikov -- Sami Niku
Anthony Bitetto -- Luca Sbisa
Laurent Brossoit
Connor Hellebuyck
Scratched: Logan Shaw, Cameron Schilling
Injured: Nathan Beaulieu (lower body), Adam Lowry (upper body) Carl Dahlstrom (broken hand), Mark Letestu (heart virus), Bryan Little (head), Tucker Poolman (lower body)
Status report
The Bruins recalled Kuhlman and Lauzon from Providence of the American Hockey League on Thursday. … The Jets recalled Schilling, a defenseman, and Shaw, a forward, from Manitoba of the AHL on Thursday. … Beaulieu, a defenseman, and Little, a center, skated Thursday but will not play Friday.
Stat pack
The Bruins are 5-2-2 against Central Division opponents this season, and 10-3-3 against the Western Conference. … Wagner will play his 300th NHL game. … The Jets are 11-11-2 at home this season and play nine of their next 10 games at Bell MTS Place. … Scheifele, who will play his 500th NHL game, has 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in his past 12 games.