Morning Skate | Caggiula to swap lines as Sabres open set in Boston

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will make his second straight start in net when the Sabres visit the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Thursday.
Luukkonen made 36 saves against the Bruins in his NHL debut last Friday, a 6-4 victory. He made his first road start against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, turning away 38 shots during the 3-1 loss.
"He's seen Boston, he's comfortable," interim head coach Don Granato said. "… I think he's settled in."

The contest opens a two-game set that will conclude Buffalo's season series with Boston, with the latter game set for Saturday afternoon. The Sabres are 1-4-1 against the Bruins this season, with the lone victory having come in the most recent matchup last Friday. Sam Reinhart scored a hat trick in that game and has scored goals in each of the team's two games since.
The Sabres are looking to rebound from two straight losses to the Rangers, who trail the Bruins by four points for fourth place in the East Division standings.

The lineup

Drake Caggiula is expected to skate on a line with Rasmus Asplund and Casey Mittelstadt, with Tage Thompson taking Caggiula's place alongside Tobias Rieder and Riley Sheahan. Read more about the swap in Wednesday's practice report.
The Sabres held a 16-9 advantage in 5-on-5 shot attempts with Caggiula on the ice Thursday.
"He's not to his game yet, but he's getting there," Granato said regarding Caggiula. "He's obviously going in the right direction. You can see his competitiveness. He's relentless and I thought the time is right, the situation is right, or the moment I should say, to make that change."

Tune in

Coverage on MSG begins at 6:30 p.m. Puck drop is scheduled for 7.