The NHL season continues to draw nearer, and we are now full swing into the preseason schedule. During the first few preseason games, many prospects around the league are given a chance to show off their skills and make their case for a potential roster spot. Today, the Boston Bruins head on the road to take on the Buffalo Sabres in a matchup between two Atlantic Division foes.
The game will mark the second exhibition match for the Bruins, who will once again ice a roster full of prospects. The Bruins topped the New York Rangers 3-0 on Sunday (Sept 24), led by a solid 29-save shutout for goaltender Brandon Bussi. Matthew Poitras continues to be a topic of discussion, as he had a goal and an assist in the contest. Both Bussi and Poitras will get the day off today. However, John Beecher, who was also impressive against the Rangers, will be in the lineup again.
The Sabres picked up a 4-3 shootout victory over the Washington Capitals in their first game of the preseason. Much like the Bruins, many of their regular skaters were held out of the lineup, allowing for some of their prospects to get some early game action. Sabres’ first-round, 13th overall selection at the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, Zach Benson, scored a goal in his first game with the club. Dustin Tokarski and Eric Comrie split the goaltending duties in the victory.
Bruins’ Milan Lucic Makes Return, Beecher Gets Second Look
As mentioned, Beecher will play again as he makes his case for a roster spot. Jayson Megna and Ian Mitchell are also listed on the roster. However, it’s entirely possible they are just making the trip as extra bodies. Milan Lucic will be wearing the Bruins’ jersey for the first time since returning to Boston on a one-year deal, signed on the opening day of free agency. Both of the Bruins’ professional try out (PTO) signees, Alex Chiasson and Danton Heinen, will also play today. Jakub Lauko is in and will look to continue the momentum he gained from last season’s NHL experience, and Jesper Boqvist will make his Bruins debut. Boqvist may be a quiet addition that can pay dividends, keep an eye on his performance today.
There will be a many prospects making their preseason debuts for the Bruins, including John Faranacci, Trevor Kuntar, Georgii Merkulov, Luke Toporowski, Oskar Steen, and Marc McLaughlin. Faranacci was one of the top collegiate free agents this summer, following three seasons at Harvard University. Former Bruin, Ted Donato, is Faranacci’s uncle and was also his coach at Harvard. “I think it was awesome, Teddy, he’s such a smart coach, I learned so much from him. Positioning, how to play the game,” Farinacci said
Related: He’s Back…Lucic’s Most Memorable Moments With the Bruins
Kuntar, Merkulov, and Toporowski had impressive showings in Buffalo at the 2023 Prospect Challenge. Providence Bruins’ head coach Ryan Mougenel, had some praise for Kuntar, saying, “I think he’s going to be a real good pro. I think he’s one of those players that his game translates real well to pro hockey. I think he’s a little bit of a dog on a bone.” (Trevor Kuntar puts best foot forward for Bruins at Prospects Challenge in hopes of scoring chance, The Boston Globe, 9/17/23). Merkulov and Toporowski both had solid seasons in the AHL last year. In 67 games, Merkulov scored 24 goals and 31 assists for 55 points while Toporowski had 15 goals and 14 assists for 29 points in 47 games.
It will be interesting to see the line combinations head coach Jim Montgomery comes up with for the game and who will step up on a night where regular Bruins’ stars such as David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand aren’t on the ice. Although it’s on the road and a preseason game, seeing Lucic back in Black and Gold will be a sight to behold for many fans. The question is how long will they have to wait for him to drop the gloves, as he looks to secure his own spot on the opening night roster. Beecher dressing for a second straight game tells me that Montgomery likes what he’s seen from him and is giving him every opportunity to make his NHL Debut when the regular season begins.
Bruins’ Defense Highlighted by Veterans Carlo and Grzelcyk
The Bruins defensive corps will be led by veterans Brandon Carlo and Matt Grzelcyk who will both get their first taste of game action this season. Top defensive-prospect, Mason Lohrei,will be in the lineup giving fans a chance to see what the hype surrounding the Bruins 58th overall pick at the 2020 NHL Entry Draft is all about. Montgomery has been happy with what he’s seen from Lohrei through the early stages of training camp, “He’s been a pleasant surprise in how he’s been good all three days so far,” he told reporters on Saturday.
Another intriguing prospect, Frederic Brunet, will also be making his preseason debut. He had a strong showing at the Prospect Challenge as well, following up an impressive 2022-23 season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). In 66 games, he scored 16 goals and added 47 assists for 73 points. Look for him to get an opportunity on the power play tonight.
Ryan Mast and Jackson Edward round out the Bruins defense for the game. Mast was drafted in the sixth-round, 181st overall at the 2020 NHL Draft and has spent the last three seasons with the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Edward, drafted in the seventh-round, 200th overall at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft made leaps and bounds in his game last season. In his OHL rookie season with the London Knights, he had six assists in 54 games. He improved his numbers in his sophomore season with five goals and 20 assists, while being a physical force piling up 110 penalty minutes.
Bruins’ to Give Depth Netminders a Look
Michael DiPietro and Kyle Keyser will dress as the Bruins’ two netminders today. While it remains to be seen how Montgomery or “Goalie Bob”, Bob Essensa will deploy the two. Bussi played the entire game in the preseason debut against the Rangers, and rightfully so, with his impressive showing. He highlighted the shutout with an early save of the year candidate and has shown the Bruins’ depth in the crease is an asset.
DiPietro was part of the return from the Vancouver Canucks in the Jack Studnicka trade last season. He spent the campaign with the Maine Mariners of the ECHL, playing 29 games with a 19-9 record while posting a 2.61 Goals-against average (GAA) and a .918 Save Percentage (SV%). Keyser made 24 appearance with the P-Bruins, stringing together a 13-6-2 record with a 2.79 GAA and a .900 SV%. The two netminders could end up splitting the game today against the Sabres.
Sabres’ Roster Standouts
The Sabres announced that their roster for tonight will include many regulars making their preseason debuts. Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin, Alex Tuch and Jeff Skinner will all dress for the contest. Thompson is looking to follow up a breakout campaign where he posted career highs with 47 goals and 47 assists for 94 points in 78 games. At 6-foot-7, 220 lbs, he possesses the size and skill that make him one of the premier power forwards in the NHL today. Bruins’ defenseman Charlie McAvoy once called his former teammate a unicorn, “Tommer is a unicorn, and I knew right away, we all did, that he was really special. He had unbelievable hands for his size, shots and you could see he had it when he was 17. He just took a while. He was a late bloomer. … on our U-18 team, he was our fifth-line guy.”
Dahlin, the first overall selection from the 2018 NHL Entry Draft is also coming off a breakout campaign. He posted a career high 73 points, with 15 goals and 58 assists last season. Through the early stages of the Sabres’ training camp, he has been paired with former Bruin, Connor Clifton. When asked about his new partner, Dahlin said “On the ice, you see his toughness, I remember playing him in Boston; I was scared of him. I hated to play against him.” Clifton won’t be in the lineup against his former team today.
In between the pipes, Devon Levi will get the nod, as he looks to become the number one goalie for the Sabres this season. A seventh-round draft pick by the Florida Panthers, Levi was part of the return in the trade that sent Sam Reinhart to the Panthers. He played seven games with Buffalo last season posting a 5-2-0 record with a 2.94 GAA and a .905 SV%.
What’s Up Next
The Bruins play the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday in the first game of a home and home set against each other. We should start seeing the training camp roster begin to be narrowed down later this week and more regulars get into the lineup over the weekend against the Flyers. After today’s game, the Bruins have four more preseason contests for the brass to decide who makes the opening night roster against Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks on October 11.
