BOSTON — The Bruins host the reigning Stanley Cup champs on Tuesday, and they'll do it with the same lineup that was good enough to beat last year's other finalist on Sunday.
Bruins coach Claude Julien still plans to get some playing time to his spare players before the end of the season, but doesn't expect to tweak anything against Chicago on Tuesday after his club clinched a playoff spot with a 2-1 win in Philadelphia on Sunday.
"Probably not [Tuesday]," Julien said when asked if there would be any lineup changes after the team's morning skate. "But as we move on here there's certainly going to be some guys moving in and out of the lineup here. We're certainly preparing for that and I think everybody played so well last game and we want to keep this team together. We know what this team we're playing [Tuesday] represents and it's an important game for us."
Julien added that there will be changes coming soon though, both to get everyone playing time to be ready for the playoffs and also to give some players a little extra rest down the stretch.
"I think you'll see all of that stuff," Julien said. "Again, it's just being cautious about how you do it. Because No. 1, you don't want complacency, guys getting comfortable, but at the same time you're going to give guys some rest. So that's all coming up as we move forward here in the last few games and we're certainly going to utilize that to our benefit since we've clinched a playoff spot."
That rest began on Tuesday as the morning skate was an optional one and just eight players took the ice. Tuukka Rask was the only goalie to skate, indicating that Tim Thomas will likely get the start in net again after a strong performance on Sunday. Thomas has allowed just two goals in his last three starts to get his league-leading GAA back down to 2.00 and his save percentage to .939.
Michael Ryder was also on the ice Tuesday morning, along with fellow forwards Gregory Campbell, Chris Kelly and Tyler Seguin and defensemen Adam McQuaid, Steven Kampfer and Shane Hnidy. Ryder was a healthy scratch for the second time in seven games on Sunday and if Julien does stick with the same lineup, he'll remain in the press box after managing just one goal in his last 19 games.
Kampfer has been scratched for the last five games, and Hnidy has yet to play since suffering a shoulder injury in a camp tryout with Phoenix. He was signed by Boston on Feb. 26 and is now cleared to play.
That depth should be an asset in the postseason, but Julien will have to balance how to get everyone in while keeping his club sharp in these final regular-season games.
"What you've got to do, we've got to remember the guys were going to put in are good players," Julien said. "It's not like you're putting in a bad player. It's that you've got a 20-man roster for the game, but you've got 22-23 guys here. We're going to put some guys in, pull some guys out, but certainly not to say, well this is a game that we're going to take it easy, we're going to pull so-and-so out. We've got to stay on top of our game, and that's what I've been talking about, sliding guys in that can go in there and stay sharp so that if, come playoff time, we need somebody, they haven't been sitting around for a month."
The Blackhawks did not skate Tuesday morning after going to overtime to beat Detroit on Monday night. Corey Crawford earned his 30th win in net while starting his 20th straight game for Chicago. It's possible the Blackhawks could finally give him a rest and start veteran Marty Turco, but with Chicago locked in such a battle for the final playoff spot coach Joel Quenneville may just roll with Crawford for another night.
Center Ryan Johnson was shaken up by a high hit from Detroit's Todd Bertuzzi on Monday and left briefly to follow the league's new concussion protocol, but returned to finish the game and is expected to be available on Tuesday. Bertuzzi was given a five-minute major for elbowing and a game misconduct, but was not suspended for the hit.
Patrick Sharp (knee) and Dave Bolland (concussion) remain out for Chicago, while enforcer John Scott will likely be a healthy scratch for the fourth straight game.
Projected Bruins lines
Forwards
Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Nathan Horton
Brad Marchand-Patrice Bergeron-Mark Recchi
Rich Peverley-Chris Kelly-Tyler Seguin
Daniel Paille-Greg Campbell-Shawn Thornton
Defense
Zdeno Chara-Johnny Boychuk
Tomas Kaberle- Dennis Seidenberg
Andrew Ference-Adam McQuaid
Goalies
Tim Thomas
Tuukka Rask
Scratches: Michael Ryder, Steven Kampfer, Shane Hnidy
Projected Blackhawks lines
Forwards
Troy Brouwer-Jonathan Toews-Patrick Kane
Bryan Bickell-Marcus Kruger-Marian Hossa
Jake Dowell-Michael Frolik-Tomas Kopecky
Victor Stalberg-Ryan Johnson-Fernando Pisani
Defense
Duncan Keith-Brent Seabrook
Niklas Hjalmarsson-Chris Campoli
Brian Campbell-Nick Leddy
Goalies
Corey Crawford
Marty Turco
Scratches: John Scott, Patrick Sharp (knee), Dave Bolland (concussion)
