Bruins vs. Predators: DiPietro Starts as Boston Opens Home Stand

Boston’s response at home is the central question as the Bruins open a two-game stand against Nashville on Thursday at TD Garden. Their five-game winning streak ended with Tuesday’s 3-2 overtime loss in Dallas, but Boston still has points in six straight games and owns a 7-2-1 record. Coach Marco Sturm confirmed there will be no lineup changes, with Michael DiPietro making his third start of the season.

The Bruins enter the game atop the Atlantic Division, one point ahead of Tampa Bay and Ottawa. They’ve scored 36 goals, with Matt Poitras, Fraser Minten and David Pastrnak tied for the team lead at four apiece. Sixteen of Boston’s goals came during its recent road trip, where Poitras, Minten and other young players helped supply the offense. Boston is 3-1-0 at home and has won its last two games at TD Garden.

Nashville arrives at 3-2-3 after several days off and a 5-2 win over St. Louis in its most recent game. The Predators are 2-1-2 over their last five and begin a two-game road trip in Boston. Their road record is 1-0-2. A major test for the Bruins will be Nashville’s power play, which has converted at a 29.6 percent rate, the third-best mark in the league.

DiPietro gets the crease

Sturm confirmed DiPietro will start. His listed season record is 1-1-0, with a 2.54 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage. Nashville’s expected starter, Juuse Saros, is listed at 3-2-2 with a 2.82 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage. Saros has started all but one of the Predators’ games, and the extended break made him the expected choice, though his start was unconfirmed in the available lineup information.

Sturm said Boston had good energy at its morning skate and stressed the need to be ready for the return home. He pointed to the mental side of the transition after a long trip and said the group needs to find a way to handle it. The Bruins’ first game back from a road swing is a chance to keep their strong start intact, especially with the standings lead still narrow.

Sturm explains late-game decisions

Poitras and James Hagens scored for Boston in Dallas, but neither played in the closing stretch. Poitras sat for the final 10:41, while Hagens missed the final 9:02. Sturm said he wants young players to grow into difficult situations, but chose to protect them as Dallas gained momentum after scoring. He described the building as one of the league’s toughest places to play and said the shift in the game made that a poor moment to put the rookies back out.

Sturm also emphasized how costly missed chances can be in a close game. Boston did earn a point by taking the contest to overtime, but the coach said he wished the team had closed it out. His explanation offers context for the late changes without suggesting a lasting change to either player’s role: both Poitras and Hagens remain in the expected lineup against Nashville.

Geekie looks to turn chances into goals

Morgan Geekie has one goal through 10 games, scored Oct. 8 in Boston’s 6-1 win over Utah. He had scored 33 and 39 goals in the previous two seasons, making the slow start noticeable. Geekie said he sees room to improve, but pointed to Boston’s 7-2-1 record as evidence that the team has started well. He added that he hasn’t felt good about the chances he’s received and has lately been more involved in distributing the puck.

That makes his spot alongside Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov a line to watch. Minten is already among Boston’s scoring leaders, while Geekie is looking to finish more of his opportunities. The top unit places Pastrnak with Pavel Zacha and JJ Peterka; Casey Mittelstadt, Elias Lindholm and Hagens form the third line. Poitras centers Tanner Jeannot and Mark Kastelic.

Expected lineups and special teams

Bruins forwards

JJ Peterka – Pavel Zacha – David Pastrnak

Marat Khusnutdinov – Fraser Minten – Morgan Geekie

Casey Mittelstadt – Elias Lindholm – James Hagens

Tanner Jeannot – Matt Poitras – Mark Kastelic

Bruins defensemen

Hampus Lindholm – Charlie McAvoy
Nikita Zadorov – Will Borgen
Frederic Brunet – Mason Lohrei

DiPietro is the confirmed starter. Boston’s power play is at 21.4 percent, 15th in the league, and its penalty kill is 80.0 percent, tied for 14th.

Predators expected lineup

Filip Forsberg – Ryan O’Reilly – Steven Stamkos
Alex Kerfoot – Mavrik Bourque – Jonathan Marchessault
Ross Colton – Matthew Wood – Nils Hoglander
Reid Schaefer – Jack Drury – Adam Edstrom

Roman Josi – Adam Wilsby
Jayden Struble – Nicolas Hague
Brady Skjei – Ilya Lyubushkin

Stamkos leads Nashville with 10 points (4-6–10) in eight games. He has two power-play goals and 47 points (28-19–47) in 57 regular-season games against Boston. Nashville’s penalty kill is 85.2 percent, seventh in the league. The Predators’ expected lines were reported by Max Herz of Predators Radio; Saros’s start was listed as unconfirmed.

Game details

The puck drops at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, with NESN carrying the game and Country 102.5 on radio. Boston will mark Hockey Fights Cancer night. The teams meet again in Nashville on Saturday, March 20.

Boston’s next games are at home against San Jose on Saturday, Oct. 24, then at Carolina on Tuesday, Oct. 27, and at St. Louis on Thursday, Oct. 29. The Bruins return home to face Chicago on Saturday, Oct. 31, and Vegas on Monday, Nov. 2. A steady start against Nashville would give Boston a chance to carry its road-trip scoring into the rest of the homestand.

Lineup sources: Bruins morning skate, DiPietro confirmation and Max Herz.