Edmonton Oilers left wing Zach Hyman (18) celebrates with teammates after his goal against Boston Bruins goaltender Linus Ullmark (35) during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, March 5, 2024, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Defenseman Andrew Peeke to make debut for Bruins on Thursday in Montreal
Andrew Peeke was acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets at last week’s trade deadline.
the Bruins-Canadiens rivalry is a tad dormant at the moment due to Montreal’s long-term rebuild. But if a player was going to make his debut with either team, then Thursday at the Bell Centre will be as good a place to start as any.
Coach Jim Montgomery confirmed that defenseman Andrew Peeke, acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets at last week’s trade deadline, will indeed be in the lineup for the first time as the Bruins try to get on the winning track against the Canadiens.
I’ve watched those (Bruins-Canadiens games) for a long time now. No matter who’s playing at the Bell Centre, it’s a special place. But playing for the Bruins against them is going to juice it up a little bit more,” said Peeke after Wednesday’s practice before the Bruins jetted north
There will be a couple of different defense pairings on display in Montreal. Matt Grzelcyk will not travel to Montreal due to illness, so Mason Lohrei was skating on a top pairing with Charlie McAvoy and Peeke skated with Parker Wotherspoon on a third pair. Kevin Shattenkirk appears to be headed for a scratch.
“We’re going to see a lot of different pairings coming here,” said Montgomery. “We’re trying to tinker and see what gives us the best option come playoff time.”
The coach is looking forward to see Peeke get his feet wet and what kind of look he can give the Bruins.
Obviously, he doesn’t know our complete structure. We showed him video but he’s got to go out and apply it,” said Montgomery. “The good thing is, having talked to him, is that there are a lot of similarities with the way they played in Columbus and the way we play, so hopefully we’ll just see him play on his toes, bring some physicality to our lineup and some mobility on the back end.”
After being a regular defenseman for the Jackets the previous two season, playing 82 and then 80 games, Peeke had fallen out of favor this year. He’s played just 23 games this year. He played in three games leading up to the
trade deadline, but was sat out for a month’s worth of games before that. With two more years left on his deal, he has an opportunity to jumpstart his career. Likewise, the Bruins could certainly use a right-shot defenseman to step up considering that, after McAvoy and Brandon Carlo, they’re thin at that spot.
“It was going a little long in Columbus this year. There’s a bunch of different ways to look at it. I’m excited to be coming here. Just being able to put the Bruins’ jersey on and coming to a new team, a playoff team and a winning culture, that’s exciting,” said Peeke.
Meanwhile, Peeke has been getting acclimated to Boston since he first arrived last Friday night.
