Boston Bruins coach Marco Sturm made his decision on who will be the starting goaltender in Saturday’s matchup vs. the Minnesota Wild.
It didn’t take Sturm long to trust Jeremy Swayman again. On Thursday, Swayman struggled through his worst outing of the season when he gave up four goals on 17 shots vs. the Montreal Canadiens.
That said, the Bruins didn’t give Swayman much help, and it led to one of their biggest meltdowns this season. So, per Jack Studley, Swayman will be in the net.
One bad game also won’t define the first quarter of Swayman’s season. On Oct. 29, Swayman allowed four goals against the St. Louis Blues on 18 shots. Swayman bounced back and played some of his best hockey, making 62 saves on 65 shots against the Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers.
Overall, it makes sense for Sturm to put his trust in Swayman. Still, the rest of the team must hold its weight.
Boston Bruins Projected Lines And Pairings vs. Wild, Nov. 14
The Bruins showed different defensive pairings in Friday’s practice. Studley noted on Saturday that, “Connor Clifton is in with Frederic Brunet. Mason Lohrei is out. Rest of the lineup stays the same as Thursday.”
Therefore, Clifton and Brunet should comprise the bottom pairing. Expect Hampus Lindholm to pair with Charlie McAvoy, and Will Borgen to line up alongside Nikita Zadorov. McAvoy continues to pace all defensemen in points with nine in 13 games.
As for the forwards, J.J. Peterka, Pavel Zacha, and David Pastrnak should take the top line. All three of them must be a big part of Saturday night’s matchup if the Bruins are to get back on track.
Mikey Eyssimont, Fraser Minten, and Morgan Geekie are the next projected trio. Geekie had a four-game goal streak going before Thursday night’s loss. He has five goals and 14 points on the year.
Elias Lindholm is slated to center Casey Mittelstadt and Marat Khusnutdinov. Mittelstadt saved Boston from a shutout loss on Thursday when he scored their only two goals.
Finally, Tanner Jeannot, Matthew Poitras, and Mark Kastelic make up the projected fourth line. The trio has a combined 72 penalty minutes so far in 2026-27.
Bruins Face Difficult Test Against Minnesota
Minnesota is arguably the NHL’s hottest team. They are 8-0-2 in their last 10 games, giving them a 10-game point streak. In that span, they outscored opponents 38 to 19 and have converted 11 of their last 38 power-play opportunities.
With just five power-play goals allowed on 27 opportunities, Minnesota’s penalty kill unit has also been top-notch. What’s more? The Wild don’t spend all game in the offensive zone. They have a 48.5 Corsi For Percentage at 5-on-5 and a 44.6 offensive-zone starting percentage in those 10 matchups.
They also beat Boston by three goals on Oct. 3. Mike DiPietro started that game and made 26 saves on 29 shots. While DiPietro has proven to be a viable number-two netminder since that game, Swayman provides better insurance for Boston’s skaters.
Should Swayman bounce back from that debacle against Montreal, Boston will be tough to beat on Saturday night. Coverage starts at 7:00 p.m. EST.
Bruins’ Sturm Makes Jeremy Swayman Decision After Canadiens Debacle