Game Day Thread: Sabres at Bruins

The Bruins are back at home at the TD Garden to finish up the home-and-home with the Buffalo Sabres and closeout the season series between the two teams. Thursday nights game was especially chippy due to a late hit on David Backes by William Carrier and the incomplete throwdown (thanks, officials) between Adam McQuaid and Carrier.

Backes did not practice with the team on Friday and is officially “questionable” with an upper body injury, with which he left the game on Thursday night. Bruins head coach Claude Julien indicated that Backes is still being evaluated by the team doctors and will play when they deem him fit to do so.

LINES:

BRUINS FORWARDS:

With Backes being out, the lines will be all sorts of interesting.

#NHLBruins lines in warmups:
Marchand—Bergeron—Pastrnak
Spooner—Krejci—Vatrano
Schaller—Czarnik—Nash
Blidh—Moore—Hayes

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) December 31, 2016

BRUINS DEFENSE:

The defense seems more stable since there are no injuries other than John-Michael Liles’ UBI.

#NHLBruins defense in warmups:
Chara—Carlo
Krug—McQuaid
K. Miller—C. Miller

— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) December 31, 2016

BRUINS GOALIES:

Rask
Khudobin

SABRES FORWARDS:

Foligno – Eichel – Moulson
Girgensons – Reinhart – Okposo
Kane – Larsson – Gionta
Deslauriers – Grant – Bailey

SABRES DEFENSE:

McCabe – Ristolainen
Bogosian – Franson
Gorges – Falk

SABRES GOALIES:

Lehner
Nilsson