JUST IN: Boston Bruins News: Brad Marchand confirm brutal deal done, after throwing a comment to bruins GM

After a disappointing 4-3 defeat to the Florida Panthers at TD Garden on Monday, the Boston Bruins practiced at Warrior Ice Arena on Tuesday before embarking on a three-game road trip starting Wednesday night against the Colorado Avalanche. Boston’s coach, Jim Montgomery, made some adjustments to the line combinations during practice, and that’s where we’ll kick off the latest updates on the Bruins.

Montgomery mixes up practice lines

Aiming to revitalize his top six, Montgomery expressed frustration over their recent performance while commending the fourth line, which has been among their strongest. On Tuesday, he made some adjustments to both the line combinations and the structure of the drills.

Brad Marchand missed practice for what Montgomery referred to as a maintenance day, allowing Max Jones to step in on the second line alongside Charlie Coyle and Morgan Geekie. On the defensive end, the pairings were shuffled, with Mason Lohrei teaming up with Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm with Brandon Carlo, and Andrew Peeke paired with Nikita Zadorov.

Bruins lines in practice today:

Zacha-Lindholm-Pastrnak
Jones-Coyle-Geekie
Frederic-Poitras-Tufte/Brazeau
Beecher-Kastelic-Koepke
Johnson

Lohrei-McAvoy
Lindholm-Carlo
Zadorov-Peeke
Wotherspoon

Swayman
Korpisalo

No Marchand.

— Scott McLaughlin (@smclaughlin9) October 15, 2024

Scott McLaughlin of WEEI reported that Montgomery altered the drills slightly, allowing the fourth line to lead instead of starting from the top and progressing downward. After practice, Montgomery mentioned that the change wasn’t intentional but left it open to interpretation.

Marchand maintenance day

As noted earlier, Marchand’s absence was due to a maintenance day, which isn’t surprising given the Bruins’ schedule. They are playing every other day to start the season, continuing through tomorrow night in Colorado. With their captain coming off a busy summer involving multiple surgeries, fans can expect many more maintenance days as the season progresses.

Tyler Johnson still practicing

Tyler Johnson, who joined training camp on a professional tryout (PTO), is in a situation similar to Danton Heinen’s last season, as he’s sticking around Boston without a contract. His continued presence suggests that something may be in the works for the former Stanley Cup champion with the Tampa Bay Lightning.