BOSTON -- Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender James Reimer will play in his 200th NHL game when he starts against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; TVA Sports, NESN, NHL.TV).
"Obviously it's the best League in the world and it's a tough thing to do," Reimer said. "It's a tough sport. Obviously lots of people are vying for your job, so it's been a fun ride so far and hopefully we can go for a couple hundred more."
Reimer, now 27, made his NHL debut in relief against the Atlanta Thrashers in a 6-3 loss Dec. 20, 2010. This season has been one of his best. He's tied for second in the League with a .932 save percentage to go with an 8-8-6 record and 2.10 goals-against average.
The Maple Leafs, who have lost nine of their past 10 games, are 0-2-1 against Boston this season. Coach Mike Babcock credited Boston's forecheck and offensive-zone cycle for being among the reasons the Bruins have prevailed in each of those games.
"In order to prevent all those things, let's execute, let's be organized coming out of our zone, let's be executing in our own zone and spend more time in their zone," Babcock said.
The Bruins have won five of their past seven games, but coach Claude Julien is still searching for line combinations he can consistently utilize. The latest incarnation of the Bruins forward combinations features Ryan Spooner back at his natural center position rather than on the wing next to one of their top two centers, Patrice Bergeron or David Krejci. The Bruins lines have more balance with Spooner at center, but there is still some experimentation going on.
"I think it's something that Claude's trying to look around and see what the best combination is," Bergeron said. "Ryan's been great for us on the third line, but also on the power play. It seems like he's been improving from one week to another. He definitely gives us the depth that we like to have at center. But then again, Claude has been playing around with the guys and trying to see what the best combination is and I think we're all open to whatever he comes up with."
Here are the projected lineups:
MAPLE LEAFS
Peter Holland - Nazem Kadri - Leo Komarov
Michael Grabner - Tyler Bozak - PA Parenteau
Shawn Matthias - Nick Spaling - Daniel Winnik
Joffrey Lupul - Byron Froese - Rich Clune
Matt Hunwick - Morgan Rielly
Dion Phaneuf - Frank Corrado
Jake Gardiner - Roman Polak
James Reimer
Jonathan Bernier
Injured: James van Riemsdyk (foot), Stephane Robidas (lower body)
Scratched: Brad Boyes, Martin Marincin
BRUINS
Brad Marchand - Patrice Bergeron - Brett Connolly
Loui Eriksson - David Krejci - David Pastrnak
Matt Beleskey - Ryan Spooner - Jimmy Hayes
Zac Rinaldo - Max Talbot - Landon Ferraro
Zdeno Chara - Zach Trotman
Dennis Seidenberg - Colin Miller
Torey Krug - Kevan Miller
Tuukka Rask
Malcolm Subban
Injured: Jonas Gustavsson (irregular heart rate), Chris Kelly (broken femur), Adam McQuaid (upper body)
Scratched: Joonas Kemppainen, Tyler Randell, Joe Morrow
Status report: Corrado took a puck off the nose during the morning skate but returned to the ice after being attended to. … Grabner is expected to play despite undergoing six root canals during the All-Star break. He took a puck to the face against the Florida Panthers last Tuesday. … Gustavsson has been cleared to practice but not to play in a game, according to Julien.
Who's hot: Reimer is 1-1-2 with a .923 save percentage in his past four starts for Toronto. … Spooner has four assists during a four-game point streak.
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