It’s a really late one for the Boston Bruins tonight.
The Bruins are in the Bay Area for their first of two meetings with the San Jose Sharks in the next 11 days. Marco Sturm shook up the defensive pairings at practice yesterday, well, because Charlie McAvoy is back. The Bruins’ top defenseman is returning to the lineup after serving a six-game suspension, and he’s more than ready to jump back into game action.
Puck drop is set for just after 11:00 PM.
Elsewhere around the league, Connor Bedard is back on the ice ahead of his timeline. He may return to the lineup against the Penguins tonight. The Stars are down a forward for the next three months. The Penguins and Sabres made a small trade. There are some trade options for the NY Rangers, and Arizona State is closing in on a new coach.
ESPN’s NHL Frozen Frenzy is tonight. There will be 16 games tonight, starting at 6:00 PM and ending with the Bruins in San Jose. All of the games will be streamed on ESPN+, and while you wait for the Bruins game, ESPN2 will have whiparound coverage of the games.
Happy Tuesday, catch up on Bruins and league news in today’s Daily Bean:
Boston Bruins
GAMEDAY: The Bruins (4-2-0) are taking on the San Jose Sharks (3-2-0) tonight. The Sharks have a three-game win streak against the Bruins, and that’s coming after a Bruins 14-game win streak over the Sharks. Puck drop is just after 11:00 PM ET. It is the 16th game of the Frozen Frenzy, which, for the fourth straight year, features all 32 NHL teams on a Tuesday in October.
NEW PAIRS: Marco Sturm rolled out new defensive pairings at practice yesterday. Connor Clifton slid out of the lineup, while the third pair of Frederic Brunet and Mason Lohrei remained intact.
MCAVOY BACK: Charlie McAvoy is back. He’s set to play in his first game back after his six-game suspension, and he’s lining up alongside Hampus Lindholm on the top defensive pair. McAvoy spoke to reporters in San Jose after practice yesterday and talked about both joining the lineup and playing with Lindholm.
I will hold my complaints about the 11:00 PM ET start time. It’s no secret that the Bruins have national market appeal (although it’s blacked out in the local market), and the Sharks are pretty popular in their own sense, but it’s an interesting approach on a weeknight.
JABLAM SPORTS: Got 20 minutes? I had a great time talking to Peter Bojarinov and Dom Tiano on the Jablam Sports Hockey Podcast yesterday. Peter has been running a season preview series on all 32 teams, and we touched on some of the new additions, McAvoy’s return, and some “trending now” news.
Click to check it out on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!
NEXT UP: The Bruins will skate at 2:00 PM (11:00 AM PT) ahead of the game tonight. They will have the day off and travel to Anaheim tomorrow.
NHL News & National Hockey Now
Chicago Hockey Now: Connor Bedard is back on the ice. He dropped the non-contact jersey and was close to full participation on Sunday before rejoining his spot on the top line on Monday. Bedard spoke but was vague about returning to the lineup, while Jeff Blashill was a little more direct. Jack Bushman has more on Bedard’s return and how it impacts the forwards.
Sportsnet: Matt Duchene will miss approximately three months after surgery to repair a core injury. The 34-year-old forward was placed on injured reserve before opening night. He played in 57 games last season and finished with 45 points (16-29–45).
The Bruins close their four-game road trip in Dallas one week from today.
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The Penguins made another trade. Yesterday, they acquired defenseman Ryan Johnson from Buffalo in exchange for defensemen Caleb Jones and Daniel Laatsch.
Florida Hockey Now: The Florida Panthers were in Buffalo yesterday for an afternoon game. Goaltender Jakob Markstrom left the first period, and Paul Maurice said that something “tightened up,” but also “there’s no injury there.”
New Jersey Hockey Now: The Ottawa Senators went to Newark and beat the Devils 4-1 yesterday. They scored twice in the second and two more in the third. James Nichols has the highlights from last night’s game.
Forever Blueshirts: With Igor Shesterkin out for the season and Joonas Korpisalo sidelined for another four weeks, Dylan Garand and Spencer Martin are running the Rangers crease. Dan Bahl looks at three realistic trade candidates for the Rangers if that is the route they choose to explore.
Colorado Hockey Now: Arizona State is closing in on their next coach. Dave Hakstol, who is in the second season of running the Avalanche power play, was granted permission to negotiate a deal with the university. ASU has informed all other candidates that they are out of the running, and Elliotte Friedman reported Hakstol could be behind the bench as soon as Friday.
Hakstol coached at North Dakota for 11 years, leading them to a 289-143-43 record. According to Adam Wodon of College Hockey News, he will be the interim head coach.
Today’s NHL Schedule
Devils at Red Wings – 6:00 PM (US: ESPN; CA: SN+)
Panthers at Blue Jackets – 6:15 PM
Sabres at Canadiens – 6:30 PM
Capitals at Hurricanes – 6:45 PM
Kraken at Flyers – 7:00 PM
Lightning at Rangers – 7:15 PM
Blues at Senators – 7:30 PM
Canucks at Islanders – 7:45 PM
Penguins at Blackhawks – 8:00 PM
Wild at Jets – 8:15 PM
Avalanche at Stars – 8:30 PM (US: ESPN; CA: SN+)
Golden Knights at Predators – 8:45 PM
Maple Leafs at Mammoth – 9:00 PM
Flames at Ducks – 9:45 PM
Oilers at Kings – 10:30 PM
Bruins at Sharks – 11:00 PM (NE: NESN, US: ESPN, CA: SN+)
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