Bruins Shake Up D-Corps Ahead Of Pivotal Game 3 Vs. Maple Leafs

24/04/2024 18:36

The Bruins’ defense was costly in Monday’s loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the added insult of an injury to key penalty-killer Andrew Peeke will force them to add at least one new name in the lineup.

Boston isn’t stopping there, however.

Mason Lohrei and Parker Wotherspoon will both return to the lineup for Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery, who is electing to remove Matt Grzelcyk for Game 3 on Wednesday. The Black and Gold, who struggled mightily after Peeke went down and forced Grzelcyk and Kevin Shattenkirk into more minutes in Game 2, will add some size via the two young defensemen.

Lohrei confirmed his addition to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, saying it gives him “maybe even more butterflies” than his debut from back in November. Wotherspoon’s return was not confirmed, though Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic shared as much while also reporting that James van Riemsdyk would make his return to the lineup in place of Jakub Lauko.

The 23-year-old Lohrei was recalled Tuesday. He had four goals and nine assists in the regular season, averaging just under 17 minutes of ice time across 41 games. Wotherspoon has been up with Boston but served as a healthy scratch in the first two games of the series after scoring eight points in 41 appearances of his own.

It’ll be a good opportunity for both Lohrei and Wotherspoon — who will each make their playoff debuts Wednesday — to carve out roles moving forward, as Peeke is week-to-week with his injury.

“I mean, it’s the playoffs,” Lohrei said, per Kaplan. “This is what I’ve dreamed about since I was a kid.”