Need to Know: Bruins at Ducks

ANAHEIM –– The road trip continues for the Boston Bruins as they face the Anaheim Ducks on Friday at Honda Center for a 10 p.m. ET puck drop.

“You can see in their record, they’re a pretty good hockey team. We had some issues last year against them. Very good skill. They have very good young kids in their lineup,” head coach Marco Sturm said of the Ducks. “I know they have a few guys hurt, but it’s a tough team to play against, with very good special teams. We’ve got to make sure we're going to play them 5-on-5 and win our special teams.”

The B’s most recently beat the San Jose Sharks 6-3 on Tuesday at SAP Center. Fraser Minten scored twice in the win and has five points (three goals, two assists) in the last two games. Sturm said the lineup will remain unchanged, except for the goaltender, so Minten will continue centering the second line between Marat Khusnutdinov and JJ Peterka.​

“I think just speed. I think we all can fly and we all can make plays, so when we’re on our game that’s how we do it. We play a lot towards the net, play a lot of quick hockey. It’s definitely a lot of fun,” Peterka said. “It’s been awesome. [Minten is] super responsible, two-way; there’s a lot of really good stuff also away from the puck.”

Peterka is also on a two-game point streak, with three assists during that stretch while averaging 16:34 of ice time per night. The 24-year-old forward, who was acquired from the Utah Mammoth in June, is becoming more and more comfortable with his new team.

“I think we had a really good two days with the group, getting to know each other a little bit more, getting closer. I think we are going to take that with us into the game,” Peterka said. “We’ve been having a great time and are excited for the game.”

Wait, There’s More

• Michael DiPietro will be in net for Boston. It is the 27-year-old goaltender’s second start of the season; he last played on Oct. 3 and made 26 saves against the Minnesota Wild. DiPietro has a 3.11 goals-against average and .897 save percentage through one game. Jeremy Swayman will get the night off ahead of the back-to-back competition. Sturm on DiPietro: “He didn’t play for a while, so wanted to get him in as soon as possible. I think the rotation kicked, and even after this road trip, we thought today was the best time to put him in.”

• Hampus Lindholm was a first-round pick of the Ducks in 2012 and spent the first nine years of his career (2013-2022) with the organization. Lindholm has four points (one goal, three assists) through seven games this year. He is expected to remain on the first pair alongside Charlie McAvoy.

• Casey Mittelstadt enters Friday’s matchup on a three-game point streak; he has two goals and one assist during that stretch. The 27-year-old forward is on the third line with Elias Lindholm and James Hagens, as well as the second power-play unit.

Opposing View

• The Ducks are coming off a 4-2 loss against the Calgary Flames on Tuesday at Honda Center. Beckett Sennecke and Leo Carlsson scored Anaheim’s goals, and netminder Lukas Dostal made 32 saves. The Ducks have won three of their last five games heading into Friday against Boston.

• Carlsson leads Anaheim with nine points (two goals, seven assists) through nine games. The 21-year-old forward signed a five-year, $90 million contract with the Ducks on July 9 after the team matched an offer sheet tendered by the Philadelphia Flyers. Carlsson is expected to center the first line between Alex Killorn and Nikita Klepov.

• Former Bruin A.J. Greer inked a four-year deal with the Ducks in July. The 29-year-old forward spent the 2022-23 season with the B’s. Greer has one assist in five games while averaging 12:14 of ice time a night. He is on the fourth line with Tim Washe and Jeff Malott.